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☆ Hedge funds were busy trading Club holdings last quarter, regulatory filings show
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

What's more, Third Point added to its bet on Disney (DIS), owning 1.4 million shares as of Sept. 30, up 40% compared with its position on June 30. That valued the position at roughly $700,000 as of Sept. 30, which is quite small for a multi-billion dollar investment firm like Trian. In August, the firm had reported owning 14.34 million shares as of June 30. They are current as of the reporting date, which for this latest round of disclosures was Sept. 30. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Smartphone chip firm MediaTek CEO sees 'incremental' move away from Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - Tensions between China and the United States are pushing some manufacturer companies to talk about moving some of their supply chain away from Taiwan as well, although it’s “incremental,” the head of Taiwan’s most important smartphone chip design firm told Reuters over the weekend. Some of the "very large (equipment manufacturers) will require their chip suppliers to have multiple sources, like from Taiwan and from U.S., or from Germany or from Europe," said MediaTek Inc (2454.TW) Chief Executive Rick Tsai. "I think in those cases, we will have to find multiple sources for the same chip if the business warrants that." While MediaTek's most advanced smartphone chips are made at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) in Taiwan, Tsai said some older smartphone chips are made by GlobalFoundries Inc (GFS.O), which has factories in places like the U.S. and Singapore, and pointed to an announcement earlier this year to make its chips at Intel Corp’s (INTC.O) fabrication facilities. Tsai said the "Intel 16" chip manufacturing technology that MediaTek has committed to use fits well for producing MediaTek chips for smart TVs and Wi-Fi.

☆ The trade issues at stake for US and China economies at Indonesia meeting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Frustrated by China’s huge trade surplus and accusing it of stealing US intellectual property, former President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods in June 2018. China, with its nearly $18 trillion economy, has in recent years been the main driver of global growth. China responded by slapping tariffs of its own on iconic American products like Harley-Davidson and Jack Daniel’s. Tech curbsBekink said she did not expect any dramatic shifts in trade flows to emerge as a result of the Biden-Xi meeting. US imports of semiconductors from China are 26% lower than before the imposition of 25% tariffs, according to Peterson.

☆ Buffett's Berkshire discloses big Taiwan Semi stake
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 14 (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) said it bought more than $4.1 billion of stock in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW), a rare significant foray into the technology sector by billionaire Warren Buffett's conglomerate. In a Monday regulatory filing describing its U.S.-listed equity investments as of Sept. 30, Berkshire said it owned about 60.1 million of Taiwan Semiconductor's American depositary shares. Berkshire also disclosed new, smaller stakes in building materials company Louisiana-Pacific Corp (LPX.N) and the financial services company Jefferies Financial Group Inc (JEF.N). Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Taiwan Semiconductor, Paramount Global and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The entrance of Paramount Studios is seen at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California. Check out the companies making headlines in after hours tradingTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing – Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor jumped 6.4% after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said it now has a $4.1 billion stake in the company. Paramount Global – Shares of Paramount Global gained 3.4% in after hours trading after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that it increased its holding in the company to $1.7 billion in the third quarter. Louisiana-Pacific – Louisiana-Pacific, a building company, gained 9.3% after Berkshire Hathaway took a new position in the name, investing $297 million in the third quarter. Jefferies Financial Group – Shares of the investment bank rose 5.3% after Warren Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway announced a $12.8 million stake, which it bought in the third quarter.

☆ Why China doesn't actually want to invade Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Biden is trying to reassure Beijing but also trying to deter them from using military force to coerce Taiwan." Biden, however, has gone further, repeatedly asserting that he would respond to a Chinese invasion by committing US troops. For China, the Taiwan threat gives them negotiating leverage with the US and influence over Taiwan's domestic politics. If Congress passes the Taiwan Policy Act, Taiwan will get $6.5 billion in taxpayer money to buy more US-made weaponry. The sanctions that would likely follow an invasion of Taiwan would quickly and severely restrict the country's supply of meat.

☆ Toyota, Sony Set Up Advanced Chip Business in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Yang Jie | River Davis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Japan, once a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, has fallen far behind the U.S. and Taiwan, which Tokyo sees as a national security concern. TOKYO— Toyota Motor Corp. and Sony Group Corp., together with six other Japanese companies, are creating a new business to design and make next-generation semiconductors by the late 2020s. The venture, called Rapidus, Latin for “rapid,” comes amid rising competition among major economies for advanced chips to support applications such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Japan said on Friday it will invest up to 70 billion yen ($500 million) in a new semiconductor company led by tech firms including Sony Group Corp (6758.T) and NEC Corp (6701.T) as it rushes to re-establish itself as a lead maker of advanced chips. The new chip company will be named Rapidus and aims to begin making chips in the second half of the decade, he added. Japan is also concerned that China may attempt to take control of Taiwan, the global hub for advanced chip production. In July Japan also offered a 93 billion yen subsidy to help memory chip makers Kioxia Corp and Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) expand output in Japan. In September it pledged to give U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology (MU.O) $46.5 billion yen so it can add production capacity at its plant in Hiroshima.

☆ JPMorgan double-downgrades Intel as chipmaker loses market share to rivals such as AMD
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

JPMorgan is making a complete 180-turn on Intel as the chipmaker continues to fall behind its rivals. "We believe it will be several years before Intel is able to reverse the tide to reclaim technology leadership in hopes of regaining market share." Part of that stems from current challenges with a new central processing unit, called Sapphire Rapids, that had production pushed due to security issues. He said Intel will also be pressured by weakening demand for personal technology over the next 12 to 18 months. Cloud and data needs will remain strong, but Intel will not feel the full tailwinds as it continues to lose market share, he added.

☆ SMIC reports 35% rise in Q3 revenue, lifts capital expenditure plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Chinese chip foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) (0981.HK) saw revenue rise 34.7% year-on-year to $1.91 billion in the third quarter, according to a market filing published on Thursday. Gross profit was $742.2 million, up 58.6% year-on-year, and the company revised its capital expenditure plan for the year from $5 billion to $6.6 billion. It added that it expects revenue for the full year 2022 to be around $7.3 billion, a 34% year-on-year increase. Reporting by Josh Horwitz; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chip-Making Juggernaut TSMC Eyes Multibillion-Dollar Arizona Factory Expansion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Asa Fitch | Yang Jie | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TSMC’s big bet on making chips in the U.S. comes after Washington agreed to provide semiconductor makers lucrative grants. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract chip maker, is preparing another multibillion-dollar factory investment in Arizona, people familiar with the plans said. TSMC plans in the coming months to announce it will build a cutting-edge semiconductor plant north of Phoenix, beside another chip factory that the company committed to in 2020, according to people familiar with the expansion plans. The scale of the investment is expected to be roughly similar to the $12 billion it committed two years ago, the people said.

☆ Chip maker TSMC plans multibillion-dollar Arizona factory expansion - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 9 (Reuters) - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (2330.TW) is preparing a multibillion-dollar factory investment in Arizona in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing sources. The scale of the investment is expected to be roughly similar to the $12 billion it committed two years ago, according to the report. Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan smartphone chipmaker MediaTek launches new chip
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company said the 5G chip was made at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's (2330.TW) using its second generation 4-nanometer chip production technology, which refers to the transistor size. Phil Solis, smartphone chip analyst at IDC, said the new chip was key for MediaTek's strategy to move upstream. "This product will help MediaTek expand in the U.S. and European markets and help change consumer's perception about MediaTek," Solis told Reuters. "MediaTek is far behind Qualcomm in terms of revenue, and that is what MediaTek is attempting to change," said Solis. MediaTek said the new chip's power efficiency helped achieve longer battery life and create a better gaming experience on the smartphone.

☆ China’s second-largest chipmaker poised for $2.5 billion IPO in Shanghai
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Chinese chip manufacturer Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd (1347.HK) has received regulatory approval for an 18 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) IPO in Shanghai, according to a filing published late on Friday on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The proceeds from the IPO will also go to upgrading the latter fab, according to its prospectus. Hua Hong’s Shanghai IPO will follow that of China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) (0981.HK), which, like Hua Hong, went public on Shanghai’s tech-centric STAR market in 2020 after it listed in Hong Kong years earlier. Hua Hong’s planned IPO comes after Washington passed unprecedented export controls on Chinese chip makers. Hua Hong specializes in mature technology, and generates most of its revenue making chips using 55-nanometer process technology.

Biden to tout semiconductor bill with Democratic congressman in tight California racePresident Joe Biden on Friday is set to tour a southern California communications company that is expected to benefit from his legislative push to bolster American semiconductor manufacturing — and he’s taking a vulnerable Democratic congressman with him. Biden will be joined by Rep. Mike Levin for the visit to Carlsbad-headquartered Viasat as he looks to highlight the CHIPS and Science Act, a $280 billion legislative package, ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections. The bill is one of the Biden administration’s most significant legislative achievements. Levin, a two-term congressman representing a San Diego-area district that was once a GOP stronghold, is locked in a tight race with former San Juan Capistrano Mayor Brian Maryott. Biden headlined a rally Thursday night in Oceanside, California, for Levin.

☆ AI chip startup SiMa.ai launches auto business with former Bosch, Mercedes executive
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov 3 (Reuters) - Silicon Valley-based AI chip startup SiMa.ai on Thursday said it is entering the automotive industry and has recruited Harald Kroeger, a former executive at top tier auto supplier Bosch and Mercedes Benz (MBGn.DE), to lead that business. Kroeger, who is on the board of electric pickup truck firm Rivian (RIVN.O), will join SiMa.ai’s board, which includes top chip industry executives Moshe Gavrielov, a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (2330.TW) board member, and Lip‑Bu Tan, an Intel (INTC.O) board member. The announcement comes as chip makers' competition in the automotive industry intensifies with Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O), and Intel’s recently listed Mobileye (MBLY.O) all vying for car makers. SiMa.ai’s main product called MLSoC, short for machine learning system on chip, processes video and images, an important technology for assisted and self-driving technology. "I was on the knife's edge," said Krishna Rangasayee, CEO of SiMa.ai about the decision to enter the automotive market which he noted can take years to generate revenue from.

☆ Cramer's lightning round: I don't want to own Taiwan Semiconductor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Loading chart...Edwards Lifesciences Corp : "I suggest that you have to buy Johnson & Johnson . Loading chart...Cerence Inc : "In a market like this, it can go to $13, $12. If you can take that level of pain, you can absolutely buy it, because it is a good company." Loading chart...Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd : "I think long-term. Disclaimer: Cramer's Charitable Trust owns shares of Johnson & Johnson.

☆ Our guide to semiconductor companies and how their chips run our everyday lives
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +17 min

Semiconductor companies are also in the news a lot lately, whether it's the U.S. government cracking down on chip exports to China or innovations in connected cars and artificial intelligence. Since these companies don't need to invest in expensive fabrication facilities, they can run a more agile asset-light business model. Memory : The two main categories of memory chips are NAND and DRAM. Examples include those used for 5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, radiofrequency chips, near field communication chips (NFC), application-specific integrated circuit chips (ASICs), and so on. These chips are made by companies like Qualcomm, Marvell Technology, Broadcom (AVGO), ON Semiconductor, NXP Semiconductor (NXPI), and others.

Welcome back to Insider Weekly, a roundup of some of our top stories. The industry took a beating after Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft reported poorer-than-expected earnings, wiping nearly $1 trillion off their collective market caps. Microsoft and Amazon reported slower growth in their usually outperforming cloud divisions, with Amazon also warning of slower holiday sales. Stephen Lam/Getty ImagesAmid a streak of disappointing financial results, inflation, and global turmoil, companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google are looking to rein in runaway costs. For years, Big Tech companies competed on pay and perks to lure workers in a tight labor market.

☆ Venture capitalists are betting on a part of China’s chip industry safe from U.S. bans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The U.S. this month imposed new restrictions to maintain a lead over China in advanced chip technology. That gap leaves a large market opportunity far more insulated from U.S. restrictions — and one that Chinese startups can tap, some venture capitalists said. He claimed WestSummit-backed GigaDevice Semiconductor is one of the Chinese companies well-positioned to capture the mature market. "However, chip-making is a mature technology that has been developed many years. Looming risksDespite the large market opportunity, early-stage investment in Chinese chip startups still face risks from potential lawsuits and the complexity of the technology itself, Vertex's Tay said.

☆ Halloween Comes Early for Chip-Equipment Companies
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jacky Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The feast for memory-chip companies has quickly turned to famine. Cutting capital spending is a necessary move to bring supply and demand back into line again—but that will heap more bad news on makers of semiconductor equipment upstream. That follows similar planned cuts at other chip companies. Micron Technology said last month that it would slash next year’s capital spending by 30%. Contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has also reduced its capital expenditure estimate for this year to $36 billion, from between $40 billion and $44 billion at the beginning of 2022.

☆ Yellen to visit Cleveland to tout Biden efforts to revive U.S. manufacturing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to Cleveland on Thursday to promote the Biden administration's economic initiatives aiming to revive U.S. manufacturing, especially in overlooked cities, the Treasury said. Yellen will join Senator Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, to deliver at the opening of the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), a Cleveland-based non-profit incubator for small and midsized manufacturers. Among investments she is planning to highlight are Intel Corp's planned semiconductor manufacturing plant, an initial $20 billion investment that could grow to $100 billion to become the world's largest chip facility. Yellen also plans to discuss over $100 billion in private sector funding for electric vehicle production, battery factories, and charging infrastructure made possible by infrastructure and clean energy legislation. Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chip firm Navitas, worth $1 billion, is competing with industry leaders to replace silicon chips with more environmentally-friendly gallium-nitride ones.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After spending decades working with silicon chips, Sheridan started Navitas to capitalize on an emerging technology he says has a multibillion-dollar market potential. Today, most of Navitas' GaN chips can be found in phone and laptop chargers made by companies like Samsung, LG, Lenovo, and Dell. Sheridan said integrated circuits gave Navitas chips a competitive edge over GaN chips produced by competitors like Infineon, Texas Instruments, and Nvidia. GaN chips are far from replacing silicon chipsWhile GaN chips have promise, silicon chips are dominant. It says it has also invested in research and development to design GaN chips for bigger systems.

☆ China chip imports drop 12.4% year-on-year in September - govt data
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Josh Horwitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Oct 24 (Reuters) - China's chip imports fell 12.4 percent in September, according to official customs data published on Monday, continuing a decline amid tensions with the United States and an ongoing chip shortage. The country imported 47.6 billion chip units during the month, compared with 54.3 billion units in September 2021, according to the data, which had been due for release earlier this month but was delayed due to the Communist Party Congress. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterIn the first nine months of 2021, China imported 417.1 billion units of chips, down 12.8 percent year-on-year. Chip imports to China surged in 2021, as tensions between the U.S. and China over technology policy escalated and a global chip shortage caused many companies in China to stockpile supplies. Separate data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that domestic chip output in September fell 16.4% year-on-year to 26.1 billion units.

☆ Barclays downgrades Analog Devices, says it has yet to price in a correction
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

There are better names off the bottom in semiconductor stocks than Analog Devices , according to Barclays. Analyst Blayne Curtis downgraded shares of Analog Devices to equal weight from overweight, and lowered the price target, saying the semiconductor stock has yet to price in a correction. The analyst cut the price target to $140 from $180. The new price target is 4.5% below where shares closed Friday at $146.59. The analyst downgraded shares of other semiconductor stocks NXP Semiconductors and Qorvo to equal weight.

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