My day at nVidia.
As a partner of [company name deleted - as it was recently formed], I attended the Analysts' Day at nVidia on June 16, 2009. Excerpts follow. ...
Five Semiconductor stocks that will thrive after 2009. Part II.
Among the companies that we looked at in the prior article, many can be eliminated with ease. So, let’s get the job done systematically. a. Applied Materials. With pristine financials and the enviable position as the #1 purveyor of machines that the semiconductor industry needs to make their chips, Applied flies through the initial screen. ...
Five Semiconductor Stocks that will thrive after 2009. Part I.
Semiconductor sales for 2009 will be down anywhere up to 25% from about $250 Billion in 2008, and with sales exceeding 2008 levels only in 2012 or 2013. ASP’s [average selling price] for all memory makers is in the trash, and for high-margin companies like Linear (LLTC), Maxim (MXIM), Analog Devices (ADI); their sales to ...
My day at Intuitive Surgicals – April 22, 2009.
Today - April 22nd 2009 was Intuitive Surgicals' investors' day. Apart from a rehash of numbers from Q1 2009, and a predictable slate of votes, there was much to be impressed, and I learned a lot more than I thought I would from the meeting. My notes outline my impression of ISRG's products and ...
Love virtualization/cloud computing ? Buy this SAN company’s stock instead!
What was cutting-edge back in the 1970's - in the days of mainframe computers and centralized computing is new again. I am talking about virtualization. The current version of virtualization is significantly different in that the computing equipment need not necessarily be centralized. In fact, in its current iteration, distributed "clouds" of computers can be ...
Why so many smart investors bought into Madoff.
Madoff hooked a whole bunch of investors. Here, we "categorize" these investors into seven types and highlight what their "investing mistake" was. Hopefully, this piece is both educational and entertaining. ...
Five issues that will survive the semiconductor industry’s nuclear winter – Part-II.
Among the companies that we looked at in the prior article, many can be eliminated with ease. So, let's get the job done systematically. The five companies that will survive this down-turn in the semiconductor market, and thrive afterwards, have a few things in common. a. A strong balance sheet, with a large cash position [or ...
Five issues that will survive the semiconductor industry’s nuclear winter – Part-I.
Yesterday morning, Gartner and IDC had sobering news for the semiconductor business. Sales will be down anywhere from 15% to 33% from about $250 Billion in 2008, and with sales exceeding 2008 levels only in 2012 or 2013. ASP's [average selling price] for all memory makers is in the trash, and even high margin ...
TARP – my way. Reinstate Glass-Steagall.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley [GLB] act repealed Glass-Steagall [G-S] - which was the law of the land here in the USA from 1933 to 1999. G-S created the FDIC, and prohibited large private banks - whose primary business is the investment business - from receiving deposits from the public. My Rx for America involves a dose of ...
I surge, you surge, we all surge for ISRG.
While Intuitive Surgicals was expensive at 10x sales and a PE of 75 - just six months ago, the recent sell-off in the stock has the company at a more reasonable PE of 20, and a PS of 4. With a quarter of its valuation in cash, we discuss the only unlikely scenario in which ...