Chip sales continue to climb for the 10th straight month. Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose to $22.6 billion in November, a 3.7 percent increase from October, when sales were $21.8 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported. Sales were 8.5 percent higher than November 2008, when sales were $20.9 billion. Sales for the first 11 months of 2009 were $202.1 billion, a decline of 13.2 percent from the same period in 2008, when sales were $232.7 billion. "For the first time in 2009, worldwide semiconductor sales in November were in positive territory compared to one year ago," said SIA President George Scalise. "2009 ended with sales of many IT and consumer products faring better than earlier projections." Asia approaching sales highs not seen in more than a year. Semiconductor sales have rebounded in all regions, including Asia, where chip transactions advanced to 11.9 percent, a figure not seen since September 2008. Additionally, the Asian region owns more than 50 percent of all semiconductor sales worldwide. Analyst's comments boost Intel shares. According to Tristan Gerra, a Robert W. Baird analyst who upgraded Intel's stock recently, "The chipmaker is poised to gain from a recovery in corporate demand for personal computers," ultimately raising the company's shares to "outperform" from "neutral." Book-to-bill dips slightly compared with the previous month. North American manufacturers of machinery and equipment used to make semiconductors and related materials reported $790.5 million in orders in November (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.06 (1.09 in October), according to the preliminary figures for the November 2009 Book-to-Bill Report published recently by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, or SEMI. A book-to-bill of 1.06 means that $106 worth of orders was received for every $100 of product billed for the month.