“This skepticism is seen elsewhere, too, with options traders favoring puts over calls in the past two weeks. Data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) shows SMH with a top-heavy 20-day put/call volume ratio of 7.30,” according to Schaeffer’s.
Related: Semiconductor ETFs Strengthen on Potential Broadcom, Qualcomm Deal
“Worldwide semiconductor revenue is forecast to total $401.4 billion in 2017, an increase of 16.8 percent from 2016,” according to Gartner, Inc. “This will be the first time semiconductor revenue has surpassed $400 billion. The market reached the $300 billion milestone seven years ago, in 2010, and surpassed $200 billion in 2000.”
Semiconductor ETFs have recently been durable performers as semiconductor stocks are rebounding to steady the broader technology sector, but that does not mean the gains are over for this suddenly hot group. However, valuations are rising for chip stocks.
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