ATLANTA -- Component sales sentiment remained strong in April, declining 2.6 points overall to 146.6, as growth expectations for passives were offset by a slower outlook for other parts.
The outlook for passive components jumped to 150.3 from 144.8 in March, while electromechanical components dropped 9.3 points to 151.1, and semiconductors fell 3.8 points.
Looking toward May, sales sentiment is softening, with the overall sentiment collapsing 16.1 points to 130.5. Every component category is projected to experience a severe weakening in sentiment from April to May, with electromechanical components taking the biggest hit with a decline of 22.3 points. Passives have the most optimistic outlook, at 137.8.
Despite the forecast decline, the overall view for sales sentiment is still extremely robust in the May outlook and stronger than November’s sentiment six months ago of 120.1. Also, every individual component category achieves a sales sentiment score well above the 100-point threshold in the May forecast.
The most significant decline in the April Industry Pulse survey is found in the end-market assessment. The overall market score plummeted from a high of 161.8 in March to 137.5 in April, with May expected to drop another 24.5 points, to 113. The decline in the end-market index score is primarily driven by fewer survey participants reporting expectations for better market conditions. Only 4% of survey responses assessed the sales environment as worse in April compared to March, with that number increasing to 9% in the May outlook.
Scores for every end-market but two are well above 100 for both April and May, with consumer electronics and mobile phones falling to the 100-point threshold.
All three supply chain groups continue to report positive sales sentiment in every component sub category from February to the May outlook. In a reversal from the March survey, Distributors expressed the strongest positive assessment for April, while manufacturer representatives were most conservative. All three groups, including manufacturers, are generally aligned compared to the overall average in the May outlook.
Lead time pressure jumped again in the April survey. In the overall average, 69% of survey participants report an increase in lead time pressure in April, growing from 61% in March. The strongest lead time pressure is found in semiconductors, with 92% reporting an increase in lead time pressure. Reports of declining lead time pressure are essentially nonexistent in the April survey.
"It is important to maintain a healthy perspective in analyzing the most recent Industry Pulse survey results," ECIA said in a statement. "While the scores show a significant decline from the highs of March, the sales sentiment score is still very robust. Just one year ago the overall sales sentiment index fell below the 100-point threshold in April and May. The overall average score of 130.5 in the May outlook is dramatically better than the 93.1 score in May 2025.
"Even with the softer results for April and May, 2026 continues to show great sales sentiment health through the first five months of the year. Hopefully, this momentum will carry into the second half of 2026 and deliver a second year in a row of solid revenue growth in the authorized channel for electronic components."
