Tech indices
ONE of the main theme investors, industry players and analysts are telling themselves is that stay-at-home orders because of the pandemic have accelerated the usage of technology.
A question that is hogging the investment world these days is whether the lofty valuations of tech stocks are justified. The concern is whether the share prices of tech stocks are in for a major correction. Is this going to be a repeat of the year 2000 dot.com bubble burst?
And with the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to hurt economies around the world, it is unusual for technology stocks to surge to all-time highs.
THE tech stock rally this month, which was particularly strong last week, should not come as a surprise to investors as many of the counters have hit all-time highs since last year’s June-to-August market rally.
The spectacular share price performances of these semiconductor and semiconductor-related stocks have been overshadowed by the rubber glove mania last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Until lately, that is.
One major factor fuelling the current rally is the global chip shortage, which has pushed up the prices of certain semiconductors and caused automotive firms to halt production.
But it appears that the shortage has become a boon to semiconductor players, including Malaysian companies, as lockdowns and travel restrictions are prompting consumers to buy more smartphones, smart devices, smart TVs, computers and laptops.
TECHNOLOGY and semiconductor-related stocks on Bursa Malaysia have performed quite well this year, in tandem with the rise of tech stocks around the world, driven by robust demand amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The virus outbreak and accompanying lockdowns have accelerated digital adoption worldwide. It has changed the way we live, work, study, communicate, shop and consume, among others.
On the corporate front, tech-related companies including those in the semiconductor, digital, e-payment, e-commerce and online learning space have been greatly impacted. For many of these players, fortunately, the impact has been mostly positive due to an unexpected surge in demand as well as a sharp increase in investments in computing and mobile and IT infrastructure.