ATLANTA -- Sales sentiment among passive component manufacturers leapt 28.4 points sequentially in June, the ECIA said.

The average component index score of 121.5 is 27.5 points above the expected score of 98.4 in June, per the trade group's monthly reporting.

ECIA cited the ongoing issue of tariffs as the primary determinant of sales expectations. As it appears that tariffs will not be imposed until after July, the index outlook for July is slightly lower, at 116.5.

In a statement, ECIA said: "There were some encouraging signals regarding possible agreements between the US and China and the US and EU during June that may have contributed to this burst of enthusiasm. Also, it is likely that the effort to make purchases prior to the imposition of tariffs at some point in the second half of the year (a continually moving deadline) is reshaping the typical annual sales pattern to skew it more heavily to the first half of the year."

Semiconductors saw the most dramatic upward swing with the index, soaring almost 40 points from May to June reaching 123.8. Passive components were up 29.2 points to 126.3. Electromechanical/connector components saw a healthy boost to 114.4.

The June results reveal that the continued erratic and unpredictable tariff activity and communication has resulted in a highly unstable sales environment, ECIA said. "While such elevated numbers for June and the July outlook may be reason to cheer, it would be more prudent to continue in crisis management mode for the foreseeable future."

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