Russell 2000
Most Recent
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow’s Performance on January 29
The S&P 500 started this week on a mixed note by pulling back on January 29, 2018. On Monday, the S&P 500 opened the day lower and closed with a loss.
Macroeconomic AnalysisHow Did the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Perform on January 25?
On January 25, six out of the S&P 500’s 11 major sectors moved higher. Strength in the utilities and health care sectors pushed the market higher.
Company & Industry OverviewsWhy Is Intel’s CPU Design Flaw Such a Big Deal?
The fact that Intel’s chips are more vulnerable to attack makes the security flaw even more severe, as the company commands about 80% of the PC CPU (central processing unit) market and 99% of the server CPU market.
Company & Industry OverviewsThe Cloud Server Market—Micron Technology’s Next Big Opportunity
On the DRAM front, Sanjay Mehrotra stated that average capacity per server increased to ~145 GB in 2017, and it is expected to increase to ~350 GB by 2021.
Company & Industry OverviewsThe State of Micron’s Cash Flow in Fiscal 2018
To become cost-competitive, Micron is increasing its capex from $5.0 billion in fiscal 2017 to $7.5 billion in fiscal 2018.
Company & Industry OverviewsMicron’s Strategy to Survive a Memory Downturn
In fiscal 1Q18, Micron introduced its 32 GB NVDIMMN (nonvolatile dual in-line memory module), which is a combination of its DRAM and NAND products.
Macroeconomic AnalysisAnalyzing the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow on January 3
On January 3, eight out of the S&P 500’s 11 major sectors closed the day in profits. Strength in the energy and IT sectors pushed the market higher.
Company & Industry OverviewsWhat’s Really Happening in NVIDIA’s Professional Visualization Segment?
NVIDIA’s ProV revenues rose 15% YoY and 2% sequentially to $239 million in fiscal 3Q18, driven by increasing demand for powerful mobile workstations.
Company & Industry OverviewsCan Intel Challenge NVIDIA’s lead in GPU Computing?
The Intel-AMD partnership would likely help Intel tap into the mobile PC gaming market, but NVIDIA doesn’t think of Intel as big competition in gaming.
Company & Industry OverviewsThe Revenue Structure of the Combined Marvell-Cavium
The acquisition of Cavium (CAVM) by Marvell Technology (MRVL) would mean several revenue and cost synergies and also change the combined company’s revenue structure.
Company & Industry OverviewsApple’s Production Bottlenecks Impact Broadcom
With every new iPhone generation, Broadcom’s (AVGO) content per phone increases as the phone’s RF subsystems grow more complex.
Company & Industry OverviewsHow Did the Mobileye Acquisition Impact Intel’s Balance Sheet?
Intel (INTC) is increasing its earnings through spending discipline and by focusing its expenses on projects with high ROI (return on investment).
Company & Industry OverviewsWhat’s Happening with Intel’s Mobile Business?
Intel’s CCG reported flat YoY revenue growth in fiscal 3Q17, with the increase in notebook shipments offsetting the declines in desktop shipments.
Tech & Comm ServicesWhy Did Intel Poach AMD’s Raja Koduri?
Intel has appointed AMD’s Radeon Technology Group chief architect, Raja Koduri, as the chief architect and senior vice president of its new group.
Tech & Comm ServicesQualcomm’s Resistance Encourages Broadcom to Resort to Hostile Means
The first and the easiest thing that Broadcom could do now is talk with Qualcomm’s board and negotiate a higher price.
Macroeconomic AnalysisHow Did the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Perform on November 8?
After rising for eight consecutive trading weeks, the S&P 500 started this week on a stronger note by rising to record high price levels on Monday.
Company & Industry OverviewsA Look at Opportunities and Challenges in NVIDIA’s GPU Business
NVIDIA (NVDA) has become NVIDIA because of its most advanced GeForce GPUs (graphics processing units), which are superior in the PC (personal computer) gaming market in terms of performance.
Company & Industry OverviewsIntel Sees Future in Neuromorphic Chips and Quantum Computing
Intel taps neuromorphic processors Intel (INTC), a leader in the data processor market, is set to secure its position in the cloud computing space with its new Nervana NNP (Neural Network Processor), which it developed in conjunction with Facebook (FB). Now, it is tapping offline, on-device computing to compete with more energy-efficient ARM processors in […]
Macroeconomic AnalysisWall Street Pulled Back on October 25 amid Weak Earnings
On October 25, the NASDAQ and Dow Jones Industrial Average opened the day lower. The NASDAQ closed the day at 6,563.89 with a loss of 0.52%.
Company & Industry OverviewsThe Past, Present, and Future of Intel’s Dividend
Intel’s competitive advantage has helped the company pay an uninterrupted dividend for the past 25 years. But with new competition, can it keep it up?
Macroeconomic AnalysisWall Street Regained Strength on October 24 amid Strong Earnings
The S&P 500 started this week on a weaker note. On October 24, seven out of the 11 major sectors closed the day with gains.
Company & Industry OverviewsCan Intel’s IoT Business Replace PC?
As Intel (INTC) transitions to the data-centric businesses, its IoTG (Internet of Things Group) business will likely be its major revenue driver.
Macroeconomic AnalysisHow Did the S&P 500 Perform on October 19?
After rising for five consecutive trading weeks, the S&P 500 started this week on a stronger note. It rose in the first three trading days of the week.
Basic MaterialsWhile Chinese Steel Exports Fall, Domestic Steel Lags
The Chinese steel industry, which has been cited for the disruption in global steel markets (MT), is outperforming most other regions this year.
Company & Industry OverviewsBright Future for Micron’s Embedded Business
In edge computing, basic analysis happens at the device level. This requires the device to be equipped with memory, processor, and connectivity chips.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NSADAQ, and Dow Reached Record Highs
On October 11, the S&P 500 opened the day with improved sentiment and rose to new record highs. The CBOE Volatility Index fell 2.3% to 9.85 on October 11.
Company & Industry OverviewsWhere Micron Stands in Terms of Technology Transition
At its fiscal 4Q17 earnings call, Micron’s CEO, Sanjay Mehrotra, stated that the company is developing its 1Y, or 13nm, DRAM and its third-generation 3D NAND.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NASDAQ, Dow Surged to Record Highs on October 6
After starting this week on a stronger note and gaining for seven consecutive trading days, the S&P 500 surged higher to a new record-high price on Thursday.
Company & Industry OverviewsA Look at AMD’s New Ryzen Pro CPU Lineup
The Ryzen Pro launch comes at a time when many enterprises prepare to transition to Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows 10.
Company & Industry OverviewsCan AMD’s Vega Beat NVIDIA’s Pascal in Power Efficiency?
Raja Koduri stated that in Power Saver mode, the RX Vega 64 delivers 35% more power efficiency while sacrificing performance only 4%.
Macroeconomic AnalysisTax Reform Plans Supported the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow
The S&P 500 started this week on a weaker note by pulling back on Monday. The market started to stabilize and regained strength as the week progressed.
Company & Industry OverviewsHow the Cryptocurrency Trend Is Benefiting AMD
So far, we’ve seen how Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stock reacted to the recent confusion surrounding the news about a possible partnership with Tesla over autonomous vehicle chips.
Macroeconomic AnalysisWall Street Rose amid Trump’s Tax Cut Proposal on September 27
The S&P 500 started this week on a weaker note due to the market’s lower risk appetite amid geopolitical concerns. The S&P 500 rose on September 27.
Company & Industry OverviewsNVIDIA Prepares for the Next Big Growth from Autonomous Vehicles
NVIDIA’s automotive revenue NVIDIA (NVDA) is now dominating the development in autonomous vehicles with the most advanced technology, DRIVE PX 2. It has partnered with over 225 auto and truck makers, Tier-1 suppliers, high-definition mapping companies, startups, and research institutions in their autonomous driving efforts. NVIDIA’s automotive revenues have been growing steadily over the past few […]
Company & Industry OverviewsInside NVIDIA’s Rewards versus Risks
NVIDIA’s (NVDA) revenue rose 56% YoY (year-over-year), while its operating income rose 191% YoY in fiscal 2Q18.
Macroeconomic AnalysisWall Street Pulled Back from Record Highs on September 21
On September 21, nine out of the S&P 500’s 11 major sectors fell. Weakness in the telecom services and consumer staples sectors pushed the market lower.
Basic MaterialsWhy the US Is the Largest Steel Importer
The US is the world’s largest steel importer. The country’s steel imports totaled 30.9 million metric tons last year.
Macroeconomic AnalysisWhy Did the S&P 500 and Dow Rise to Fresh Record Highs?
After rising to record high price levels last week, the S&P 500 carried the buying momentum to this week. It closed with gains on September 20, 2017.
Earnings ReportWhy Micron Is on the List of Top 5 Semiconductor Stocks by Revenue
Micron’s memory business The memory market environment has been favorable for memory makers since October 2016 with tight supply conditions fueling memory prices. Pure-play memory suppliers like Micron benefit the most from the memory uptrend. Micron (MU) earns 64% of its revenues from DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and 31% from NAND (negative AND). Three […]
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, Dow, NASDAQ Moved Higher on September 13
After a brief pullback last week, the S&P 500 started this week on a stronger note and continued to move higher.
Company & Industry OverviewsWhat’s the Role of Embedded Business in Micron’s Future Growth?
Micron’s EBU revenue rose 19% sequentially to $700 million in fiscal 3Q17 driven by high demand for its products across consumer, industrial, and automotive markets.
Basic MaterialsCan AK Steel Investors Expect Better Days Ahead?
The automotive sector accounts for a large chunk of AK Steel’s shipments.
Macroeconomic AnalysisWall Street Regained Strength amid Improved Market Sentiment
After regaining strength last week by breaking the two-week losing streak, the S&P 500 started this week on a mixed note.
Company & Industry OverviewsCan Intel Succeed in the Automotive Market?
Intel (INTC) acquired Mobileye for $15.3 billion, which represents 42.7x its annual sales of $358 million.
Basic MaterialsOil Country Tubular Goods Imports Rise Steeply: Effect on Steel
Looking at July imports data, HRC (hot rolled coil) imports fell ~27.0% year-over-year. However, imports rose on a monthly basis.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Pulled Back on August 23
After a disappointing performance for two consecutive trading weeks, the S&P 500 started this week on a stable note.
Earnings ReportA Look at Broadcom’s Cash Inflows and Outflows
In fiscal 2Q17, Broadcom’s operating cash flow increased 17% sequentially to ~$1.6 billion.
Earnings ReportHow Seasonal Demand Affects Broadcom’s Fiscal 2H17 Revenues
Looking at Broadcom’s double-digit revenue growth, Wall Street analysts anticipate that the company could grow at a CAGR[2. compound annual growth rate] of 7%.
Company & Industry OverviewsWhat Does the Rumor Mill Say about AMD’s Vega and Navi GPUs?
AMD’s Vega GPUs (graphics processing units) lag behind NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and Titan XP in terms of performance and behind GTX 1080 in terms of power efficiency.
Company & Industry OverviewsWhat’s AMD’s Strategy for Vega GPUs?
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) entered the high-end GPU (graphics processing unit) market with the launch of its Vega series.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Rebounded amid Better Global Sentiment
The S&P 500 fell lower last week amid geopolitical concerns. But it started this week on a stronger note by rebounding on Monday.
Macroeconomic AnalysisWhy Did S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Rebound on August 11?
After declining for three consecutive trading days, the S&P 500 broke the losing streak and rebounded on Friday.
Company & Industry OverviewsWhat AMAT’s Price Ratios Say about Its Valuation
On August 7, 2017, AMAT had a PS ratio of ~3.7x.
Earnings ReportHow NVIDIA’s Balance Sheet Compares to Its Peers
In fiscal 1Q18, NVIDIA’s cash reserves stood at $6.2 billion. Its long-term debt stood at $2.0 billion, resulting in a net cash position of $4.2 billion.
Company & Industry OverviewsNVIDIA Seeks to Continue Its Strong Gaming Revenue Growth in Fiscal 2018
NVIDIA’s gaming revenues rose 49% year-over-year to ~$1.0 billion in fiscal 1Q18, driven by strong demand for Pascal GPUs.
Company & Industry OverviewsNVIDIA’s Volta GPU Hits the Market Earlier than Expected
AMD launched its Radeon RX Vega GPU for game developers on July 30, 2017. NVIDIA shipped its first Volta GPU Tesla V100 for data center applications on August 1.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow in the Week Ending July 28
After gaining for three trading weeks, the S&P 500 started this week with an improved sentiment. It fell in three out of four trading days last week.
Company & Industry OverviewsMicrocontroller and Connectivity Business: Cypress’s Growth Driver
Cypress’s MCD revenues rose 8% sequentially to $317.9 million in 1Q17, accounting for 59.8% of the company’s revenues.
Macroeconomic AnalysisWhy the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Lost Momentum
The S&P 500 started this week on a stable note by trading at all-time high price levels on Monday. The market lost momentum in the first two trading days.
Company & Industry OverviewsHow Xilinx Stacks Up against NVIDIA in the Automotive Market
Xilinx’s automotive revenues grew at an average annual rate of 60% between fiscal 2013 and 2017.
Earnings ReportWhat’s Going on in Intel’s Programmable Solutions Group?
Intel is offering a full spectrum of AI solutions and several accelerators. The company’s journey in accelerated computing began with its acquisition of Altera in 2015.
Earnings ReportHow Is Intel’s Data Center Business Performing?
Intel’s (INTC) move to acquire Mobileye (MBLY) could create an adjacent data center opportunity in the long term.
Company & Industry OverviewsHow Intel Plans to Address the Qualcomm-Microsoft Threat
After Intel discontinued its Atom mobile processors in early 2016, Microsoft partnered with Qualcomm in December 2016 to bring Windows 10 into ARM processors.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500 and Dow Reached Record Highs on July 14
After gaining for two consecutive trading days, the S&P 500 continued to move higher on Friday. Ten out of 11 major sectors closed higher on July 14.
Earnings ReportShould Investors Be Concerned about Intel’s Leverage?
Intel has long-term debt of $24 billion against cash reserves of $17 billion, resulting in net debt of $7 billion.
Miscellaneous2Q17 Earnings Preview: Do Analysts Find Value in Alcoa?
Previously in this series, we’ve looked at Alcoa’s (AA) 2Q17 earnings estimates. In this article, we’ll see how leading brokerages are rating Alcoa stock ahead of its 2Q17 earnings release.
Company & Industry OverviewsHow Infinity Fabric Contributes to AMD’s Diversified Portfolio
Infinity Fabric is a scalable control fabric that controls all the sensors in a chip.
Company & Industry OverviewsIs AMD’s Ryzen CPU Competitive with Intel’s Core CPU?
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is performing a multiphase rollout of its Ryzen CPUs.
MiscellaneousCould the Steel Imports Probe Do More Harm than Good?
The imports probe might not hurt China much. In contrast, the US could get involved in a trade dispute with friendly nations.
Macroeconomic AnalysisHow Did the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Perform?
After trading with increased volatility and ending June 29 with a loss, the S&P 500 started higher on Friday. Six out of 11 major S&P 500 sectors rose.
MiscellaneousWhy Are Some Analysts Bearish on AMD?
Advanced Micro Devices’ (AMD) strong stock price gain, product launches, and rising competition have made some analysts bullish and some bearish on the stock.
Company & Industry OverviewsDid AMD’s Vega Outperform NVIDIA’s Titan XP in VR Content Creation?
PC World tested AMD’s Radeon Vega Frontier air-cooled version with NVIDIA’s (NVDA) GeForce Titan XP for OpenGL workflows, the most widely used open graphics standard.
MiscellaneousMicron Doubts That China Could Sustain in the Memory Market
According to Micron’s Ernest Maddock, even if China succeeds in securing legitimate IP, it would still fail in the memory market.
MiscellaneousA Detailed Analysis of May’s Global Steel Production Data
Global steel production rose 4.7% in the first five months of 2017 compared to the same period last year.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Were Flat on June 22
After falling for two consecutive trading days, the S&P 500 was mixed on June 22 and ended the day almost flat.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500 and Dow Fell, NASDAQ Rose Due to Biotech
The S&P 500 opened higher on Wednesday but fell as the day progressed. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 VIX Index fell 1.0% to 10.75.
Company & Industry OverviewsHow NVIDIA Is Strategizing to Build an Autonomous Vehicle
NVIDIA’s end-to-end autonomous car solution NVIDIA (NVDA) is looking to make the concept of a fully autonomous car reality by developing an end-to-end platform, from architecture to HD (high-definition) maps. It aims to develop a complete software stack and update it on a continuous basis. On top of that, it hopes to make this stack open, […]
Company & Industry OverviewsSpeculation about NVIDIA’s Volta Gaming Graphic Processing Unit
NVIDIA’s product strategy NVIDIA (NVDA) has officially unveiled its next-generation Volta architecture. Whenever the company develops a new architecture, it first launches it on the Tesla GPU (graphic processing unit) platform for data centers because it commands a higher price than other platforms. Then it launches the architecture on the GeForce gaming platform, as its […]
MiscellaneousChinese Steel Industry Outlook: What It Implies for US Steel
Chinese steel exports to the United States have fallen sharply and now account for only ~2.0% of consolidated US steel imports.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Rose to Record Levels on June 1
After starting the week with mixed sentiment and struggling for two days, the S&P 500 regained strength on Thursday and rose to all-time high price levels.
Company & Industry OverviewsPhillips 66’s Beta: Does It Imply the Company Is Less Volatile?
Phillips 66’s 90-day daily beta stands at 1.1, which is below its peer average of 1.5.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500 and NASDAQ Are at Record Highs on May 25
After breaking the 2,400 level and closing at all-time high price levels on Wednesday, the S&P 500 continues to strengthen on May 25.
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500 Rose for the Fifth Day, Reached Record Highs
On May 24, the S&P 500 started the day higher and regained momentum after the release of the Fed’s meeting minutes at 2:00 PM EST.
Company & Industry OverviewsWill Tesoro’s Refining Margins See a Boost in 2Q17?
In 2Q17 to date, Tesoro’s refining index values, which refer to regional crack indicators in the areas where TSO operates, have shown improvements
Company & Industry OverviewsRefiners’ Leverages in 1Q17: Who’s Best Placed—MPC, TSO, VLO, or PSX?
The currently unstable refining environment has resulted in volatile refining earnings for big US refiners like MPC, VLO, TSO, and PSX.
Company & Industry OverviewsWhat’s Driving Demand for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835?
Qualcomm (QCOM) reported strong growth in the QCT (Qualcomm CDMA Technology) segment in fiscal 2Q17.
MiscellaneousWhy Most Analysts Are Calling Marathon Petroleum a ‘Buy’
Marathon Petroleum (MPC) has been rated by 19 Wall Street analysts. Seventeen analysts (or 89%) have rated it as a “buy” so far in May 2017.
Company & Industry OverviewsWill Current Headwinds Impact Qualcomm’s Shareholder Returns?
If Qualcomm is unable to overcome the legal headwinds around its licensing business, the completion of its NXP Semiconductors acquisition could be at risk.
Company & Industry OverviewsHow Refining Stocks’ Historical Valuation Compares
Refining stocks’ valuation In this part, we’ll compare refining stocks’ EV-to-EBITDA (enterprise value to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) ratios with their three-year averages. Marathon Petroleum (MPC), Valero Energy (VLO), Phillips 66 (PSX), and Tesoro (TSO) are trading higher than their historical valuation. MPC was trading at a 10.3x EV-to-EBITDA ratio in 1Q17, compared […]
Company & Industry OverviewsComparing MPC’s, TSO’s, VLO’s, and PSX’s Valuation
Average valuation multiples Earlier, we discussed refining stocks’ performance in 1Q17 and compared their dividend yields. In this part, we’ll look at Marathon Petroleum’s (MPC), Tesoro’s (TSO), Valero Energy’s (VLO), and Phillips 66’s (PSX) forward valuation. The average forward EV-to-EBITDA (enterprise value to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) multiples and average forward PE […]
Macroeconomic AnalysisS&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Pulled Back on May 11
After consolidating for three consecutive trading days, the S&P 500 started May 11 on a weaker note by opening lower and falling to one-week low levels.
Earnings ReportTesoro Beats 1Q17 Earnings
Tesoro (TSO) posted its 1Q17 results on May 8, 2017. Revenues missed analysts’ estimate, but adjusted EPS of $0.55 surpassed the estimate of $0.31.
MiscellaneousHow Analysts Rated Tesoro on Its 1Q17 Earnings Day
Tesoro (TSO) has been rated by 18 analysts. Of those, 12 have assigned the stock a “buy” or “strong buy” rating.
Company & Industry OverviewsThe Secret behind NVIDIA’s Strong Cash Flows
NVIDIA’s operating cash flow rose 42% YoY (year-over-year) to $1.7 billion on operating income of $2.2 billion in fiscal 2017.
Company & Industry OverviewsA Look at the Performances of NVIDIA’s Pascal-Based Tesla GPUs
NVIDIA (NVDA) has been supporting the adoption of AI (artificial intelligence) beyond the cloud and into supercomputing and other industries.
Company & Industry OverviewsShould NVIDIA Worry about Apple’s Plans to Develop Its Own GPUs?
NVIDIA (NVDA) dominates the discrete GPU (graphics processing unit) market. It has a history of pushing its more established competitors out of the market.
Macroeconomic AnalysisWall Street Reacted to the Fed’s Statement on May 3
After trading in a range for five trading days, the S&P 500 opened lower on May 3 and ended the day almost flat.
MiscellaneousAnalysts’ Ratings for Phillips 66 after Its 1Q17 Earnings
After its earnings, Phillips 66 was rated by 19 analysts. Four analysts gave it a “buy,” 15 gave it a “hold,” and no analysts gave it a “sell.”
MiscellaneousWhere Do Analysts Ratings for Tesoro Stand Pre-Earnings?
In this series, we’ve examined Tesoro’s (TSO) 1Q17 estimates, refining margin outlook, and stock performance ahead of its earnings release expected on May 8, 2017.
Company & Industry OverviewsA Look at Intel’s Roadmap for Optane
Launch of 3D XPoint Intel (INTC) has launched its 3D XPoint-based Optane DC P4800X SSD (solid-state drive). The initial tests show that it is the fastest SSD tested to date and it is ideal for data center tasks that require high input/ output performance and limited storage. However, the Optane drive is only five times […]