Today brings the selling that many expected after Wednesday’s Fed meeting

Today brings the selling that many expected after Wednesday’s Fed meeting

Yesterday, growth stocks climbed in the face of signals from the Federal Reserve on Wednesday that interest rates increase were coming sooner–as soon as the end of 2022–than expected. That seemed puzzling. May be, one line of thought (mine) had it, investors and traders decided that growth stocks would outrun any increase in interest rates that might take place in 2022 or 2023. Today, we got the selling that many had expected yesterday

Apparently everybody decided today that tomorrow’s March jobs report will show accelerating economic growth

Apparently everybody decided today that tomorrow’s March jobs report will show accelerating economic growth

With the financial markets closed tomorrow for Good Friday, traders and investors jumped in to buy today ahead of what is expected to be a jobs report tomorrow morning showing unemployment dropping to 6.0% (by the official measure) from 6.2% in February. The Standard & Poor’s 500 closed up 1.18%. The Dow Jones Industrial average ended 0.52% higher. The NASDAQ Composite finished higher by 1.76%. And the small cap Russell 2000 gained 1.50% on the day.

Adding Applied Materials to my Jubak Picks Portfolio on chip shortage

Adding Applied Materials to my Jubak Picks Portfolio on chip shortage

As I noted in my January 13 video “4 picks for the chip shortage,” investors are looking at shortage of silicon chips that has hit the auto industry especially hard and that argues for a multi-year increase in capital spending to expand chip production at foundry companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM). As the world’s largest supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, Applied Materials will see its revenue climb as a result of that capital spending. The company’s equipment can be found at almost every major step in cap manufacturing (with the exception of lithography) from chemical and physical vapor deposition to etching to defect-inspection scanning electron microscopes. The stock is up 60.04% in the last year, as of the close on January 13 with most of that gain coming in the last 3 months where the stock is up 51.9%. The shares are already a pick in my long-term 50 Stocks Portfolio where they’re up 91.8% from December 31, 2017. Today, I’m adding Applied Materials to my Jubak Picks Portfolio.

Adding Applied Materials to my Jubak Picks Portfolio on chip shortage

50 Stocks Portfolio member TSM reports record quarterly revenue on 5G iPhone demand

Today, January 8, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, reported December sales that translate into record quarterly revenue with estimated sales in the quarter climbing to $12.9 billion (361.5 NT$). (The company reports its quarter on January 14.) The projections based on December revenue amount to a 25% increase in revenue in 2020 from 2019.

Finding 5 clues for tomorrow in today’s stock market action

Finding 5 clues for tomorrow in today’s stock market action

Yes, the big indexes were down today, January 4, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 off 1.48% at the close; the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 1.25%; and the NASDAQ Composite lower by 1.47%. But I think we can find some clues about tomorrow’s action–and the moves over the next month or more–from taking a look at individual stocks and sectors.

Adding Applied Materials to my Jubak Picks Portfolio on chip shortage

Stock Pick of the Day: Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM)

Announcing a new feature on JubakAM--my stock pick of the day. With Taiwan Semiconductor as my first pick. The hoo ha at the end of last week over restrictions on the sale of U.S. semiconductors to China's Huawei Technologies, high-lighted the central role that Taiwan...