Some semiconductor stocks offer less risk

Article Excerpt

The semiconductor industry has experienced strong growth over the past two decades. This is expected to continue as demand for technologically advanced products such as autonomous vehicles, 5G mobile applications, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing, continues to rise. Still, the market for basic memory-type conductors is cyclical and subject to large price, supply, and demand swings. That means that providers of cutting-edge chips for vehicles, 5G, AI and so on—as well as the makers of specialized equipment used in manufacturing and testing of chips– are better positioned to protect their profit margins through the cycles. The long-term outlook is positive The long-term trend for semiconductor demand is upwards; specifically, over the past 20 years, the global market for chips quadrupled to $557 billion and this is set to continue. According to the consulting firm McKinsey, the annual demand for semiconductors will grow by 6% to 8% per year to over $1 trillion by 2030. McKinsey also estimates that the current largest components of…