Asia and Global Semiconductor and Tech Research

Andrew Lu

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Takeaways post model updated: 1. most foundries miss 4Q23 but y/y decline to decelerate; 2. y/y sales passed the trough but utilization later; 3. wafer shipment down 18-20% in 2023;</li>
<li>More takeaways: 4. different mix with different price; 5. some are defensive this year, some might have larger upside for 2024; 6. gross margin still falling and capex cut needed.</li>
<li>
<strong>Automotive/Industrial lags only not beginning of the fall</strong>: Smartphone, pc, consumer/IOT foundry orders might recover earlier than automotive/industrial for 2-3 quarters, resulting fablesses in these area to outperform.</li>
</ul>


Takeaways post model updated: 1. most foundries miss 4Q23 but y/y decline to decelerate; 2. y/y sales passed the trough but utilization later; 3. wafer shipment down 18-20% in 2023;
More takeaways: 4. different mix with different price; 5. some are defensive this year, some might have larger upside for 2024; 6. gross margin still falling and capex cut needed.

Automotive/Industrial lags only not beginning of the fall: Smartphone, pc, consumer/IOT foundry orders might recover earlier than automotive/industrial for 2-3 quarters, resulting fablesses in these area to outperform.


Takeaways Post Our Global Foundry Model Updated and Initial View on 2024

Articles from Caixin Global, Caixin Global

Caixin Global

Articles from Caixin Global

Caixin is a media group dedicated to providing financial and business news through periodicals, online content, mobile apps, conferences, books and TV/video programs. Caixin aims to blaze a trail that helps traditional media prosper in the new media age through integrated multimedia platforms.

News from Caixin

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>Qualcomm Inc.’s handset chip business in China will not be affected by Huawei’s push for semiconductor self-sufficiency, said chief executive Cristiano Amon.</li><li>Despite Huawei’s return to the mobile arena spotlight with an in-house chip, the growth trajectory of Qualcomm’s business with Android handset-makers in China will remain unchanged, according to Amon on a post-earnings call on Wednesday.</li><li>Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala cited an estimated jump of more than 35% in chip sales to Chinese smartphone-makers in and outside China for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.</li></ul>

Qualcomm Inc.’s handset chip business in China will not be affected by Huawei’s push for semiconductor self-sufficiency, said chief executive Cristiano Amon.Despite Huawei’s return to the mobile arena spotlight with an in-house chip, the growth trajectory of Qualcomm’s business with Android handset-makers in China will remain unchanged, according to Amon on a post-earnings call on Wednesday.Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala cited an estimated jump of more than 35% in chip sales to Chinese smartphone-makers in and outside China for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.

Qualcomm Sees No Threat From Huawei-Developed Chips, CEO Says 

Semiconductor & Technology Specialist, Ingenuity

William Keating

Semiconductor & Technology Specialist

Ingenuity

Our focus is exclusively on in-depth research & consulting in the broader semiconductor industry. We focus on the key players, namely Intel, Micron, Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung, NVIDIA, AMD, TSMC & Global Foundries - as well as some of the lesser known, but nonetheless critical, companies such as ASML (for EUV), Mellanox, Cavium, Xilinx etc. We specialise in their products, roadmaps, process technologies, competitive advantages & threats etc. We also help our clients understand the implications of new and emerging technologies, e.g. 3D X-Point, 3D NAND, Carbon Nanotubes, Autonomous Driving, Graphene, Silicon Photonics, Wafer-Level Optics, Artificial Intelligence, FPGA, GPU, ASIC etc. 

Semiconductor Analysis & Research

<ul>
<li>Q323 revenues of $1.85 billion, flat sequentially but down 11% YoY. Net income was $249 million, up 5% sequentially but down 26% YoY.</li>
<li>At a midpoint of $1.85 billion, forward guidance is once again flat sequentially. Overall it was a solid report with guidance slightly better than UMC delivered last week.</li>
<li>Despite the solid quarter, the company's outlook for 2024 was bleak with a 50% CapEx cut, LTAs under mounting pressure &amp; ominous-sounding LTA "True Up" on the horizon. </li>
</ul>


Q323 revenues of $1.85 billion, flat sequentially but down 11% YoY. Net income was $249 million, up 5% sequentially but down 26% YoY.
At a midpoint of $1.85 billion, forward guidance is once again flat sequentially. Overall it was a solid report with guidance slightly better than UMC delivered last week.
Despite the solid quarter, the company's outlook for 2024 was bleak with a 50% CapEx cut, LTAs under mounting pressure &amp; ominous-sounding LTA "True Up" on the horizon. 


GlobalFoundries Pops On Q323 Earnings. But Why?

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets / Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>In our prior EM Strategy (October 2) we discussed that as long as EEM-US is above our important line-in-the-sand at $37, we were buyers on the pullback.</li>
<li>This support level held and EEM-US now displays a bullish 3-month downtrend reversal as the DXY appears to be breaking below $105.70, all bullish signals signaling additional upside-- buy.</li>
<li>We are bullish as long as $36.50-$37 support holds on EEM-US. Our first target is $42, which is 1.5+ year resistance. Remain overweight India, and we're upgrading Poland/Greece to overweight</li>
</ul>


In our prior EM Strategy (October 2) we discussed that as long as EEM-US is above our important line-in-the-sand at $37, we were buyers on the pullback.
This support level held and EEM-US now displays a bullish 3-month downtrend reversal as the DXY appears to be breaking below $105.70, all bullish signals signaling additional upside-- buy.
We are bullish as long as $36.50-$37 support holds on EEM-US. Our first target is $42, which is 1.5+ year resistance. Remain overweight India, and we're upgrading Poland/Greece to overweight


MSCI EM Index Reversing 3-Month Downtrend -- Buy. Remain Overweight India, Upgrading Poland & Greece

United Microelectronics Corp / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Q323 revenues of NT$57 billion, up 1.4% QoQ but down 24.3% YoY. For 2023 YTD, revenues have amounted to NT$167,575 billion, down 20.5% YoY.</li>
<li>Net income was NT$15.97, essentially flat QoQ. Gross margin came in at 35.9%, also flat QoQ. Utilisation for the quarter was 67%, down from 71% in the prior quarter.</li>
<li>Utilization set to further decline to low 60% levels in Q423, the lowest since the downturn began.</li>
</ul>


Q323 revenues of NT$57 billion, up 1.4% QoQ but down 24.3% YoY. For 2023 YTD, revenues have amounted to NT$167,575 billion, down 20.5% YoY.
Net income was NT$15.97, essentially flat QoQ. Gross margin came in at 35.9%, also flat QoQ. Utilisation for the quarter was 67%, down from 71% in the prior quarter.
Utilization set to further decline to low 60% levels in Q423, the lowest since the downturn began.


UMC. Automotive Weakness Prolongs Downturn

China

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation operates a semiconductor foundry. The Company provides integrated circuit foundry and technology services including the testing, development, design, manufacturing, packaging, and sale of integrated circuits. Semiconductor Manufacturing International offers its products and services around the world.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) (981 HK)

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC)

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Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) (981 HK)

Takeaways Post Our Global Foundry Model Updated and Initial View on 2024

Seven takeaways Post Our Global Foundry Model Updated and Initial View on 2024 foundry shipment, blended wafer price, sales, and capex growth/decline

Andrew Lu

Qualcomm Sees No Threat From Huawei-Developed Chips, CEO Says

Qualcomm Inc. ’s handset chip business in China will not be affected by Huawei’s push for semiconductor self-sufficiency, said chief executive...

Caixin Global

GlobalFoundries Pops On Q323 Earnings. But Why?

Despite the solid quarter, the company's outlook for 2024 was bleak with a 50% CapEx cut, LTAs under mounting pressure & an ominous-sounding LTA...

William Keating

MSCI EM Index Reversing 3-Month Downtrend -- Buy. Remain Overweight India, Upgrading Poland & Greece

In our prior EM Strategy (10/2/23) we discussed that, if $EEM is above $37, we were buyers on the pullback. Support held and now EEM displays a...

Vermilion Research

UMC. Automotive Weakness Prolongs Downturn

Q323 revenues of NT$57 billion, up 1.4% QoQ but down 24.3% YoY. Net income was NT$15.97, essentially flat QoQ. Utilization to decline to low 60%...

William Keating

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