VELDHOVEN, July 16 (Reuters) - ASML, the

world's biggest supplier of computer chip-making equipment, on

Wednesday reported a rise in second quarter bookings that was

above market expectations.

The better-than-expected performance may provide reassurance

that the company's growth targets for 2026 are on track,

analysts say.

The Dutch group's net bookings, the most closely watched

figure in the industry, were 5.5 billion euros ($6.4 billion).

That was ahead of analysts' consensus estimate of 4.44 billion

euros according to researcher Visible Alpha.

($1 = 0.8608 euros)

(Reporting by Nathan Vifflin in Amsterdam)