Thursday, April 25, 2024
In recent years, whenever there has been hype in the computing sector in recent years, the GPUs (graphic processing units) produced by Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) have been involved. GPUs underpin almost all of the most exciting computing developments, from artificial intelligence (AI) to data centers to autonomous driving to video gaming graphics. No wonder then […]
Unilever plc (UL) is a leading international consumer goods company, and one of the largest providers of personal care products. Some of its well-known leading brands include Dove, Lifebuoy, Hellman’s, Knorr, Axe, and Magnum. Because of the business it’s in—consumer staples—Unilever’s stock is often thought of as a “bond proxy.” This status helped propel its […]
Waters Corporation (WAT), to describe this little-known company most simply, makes tools that help scientists and researchers analyze the safety, quality, and durability of science-based, consumer-facing products. Waters’s tools help its customers perform scientific research by providing them with analytical instruments, services, and supplies. Nearly 90% of the company’s revenue comes from its Waters division, […]
Here’s something interesting pointed out by the Financial Times’ U.S. financial commentator, Robert Armstrong: industrial stocks have done well lately—really well. Since September 30, the S&P 500 industrials are up 20%, nearly double the full index. Armstrong noted that of the 71 S&P industrial stocks, 58 have outperformed the index since the end of September, […]
It’s a good time to be an investor that focuses on dividends. According to the asset management company Janus Henderson, investors enjoyed a record haul for global dividends in the third quarter. Total global payouts hit $415.9 billion in the third quarter of 2022. The seven percent rise from the same period a year ago […]
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) has been my favorite semiconductor company for a very long time. It is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of advanced processor chips. And now, Warren Buffett has joined the Taiwan Semi fan club. On November 14, a filing with U.S. securities regulators showed that Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B and BRK.A) had purchased […]
The latest bank earnings season highlighted the difference between the banks that rely on deal-making (Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) versus those that are deposit banks that rely more on U.S. consumers and businesses (Bank of America, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Citibank). Deposit banks are in a generally better position to earn greater margins on the […]
There was a recent major development that many investors have almost completely ignored: the U.S. government is getting into the domestic mining and battery industries. As part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Department of Energy handed several companies big lumps of cash in mid-October, ranging from $50 million to $316 million, adding up […]
There is no doubt that semiconductor stocks have underperformed the overall stock market. Since early October, the S&P 500 Index ETF (SPY) has outpaced the Semiconductor Index ETF (SOXX) by 26%. A big reason for this was because several large consumer-facing companies found themselves with too much inventory. Companies that make electronic consumer goods, such […]
The United States is one of a number of countries worldwide that are shifting to a lower carbon energy mix. This is great news for a few companies that will be the beneficiaries of the modernization of the electric grid, and the drive for renewable energy generation more broadly. One such company is a big […]
