An upward price trend appeared in both DDR2 and NAND flash spot markets this week (December 20-24) amid rumors of potential shortages.
Traders in Taiwan said that a short-lived shortage of DDR2 occurred in the middle of this week in the sport market as rumors spread that DDR2 chips from Hynix were booked up by a major module house.
As of noon of December 24, spot price of 1Gb DDR2 rose 1% to US$1.42. With the approach of the year-end holidays, demand for DDR3, on the other hand, remained weak in the spot mark. An oversupply situation continued affecting the overall pricing. The spot price for 1Gb DDR3 averaged US$1.10, representing a 2% drop as of noon of December 24, the research firm added.
For the NAND flash market, prices were up in the spot market this week amid rising demand for tablet PCs and smartphones. Market rumors even indicated that a potential shortage from suppliers might occur next month, which prompted traders to begin preparing inventory in late December, ahead of their usual schedule, explained the research firm
As of noon of December 24, spot price of the mainstream 16Gb MLC NAND flash posted a 3% jump to US$4.25, and 16Gb parts also rose 1% to average at US$6.12.