A Taiwanese court sentenced a former Tokyo Electron Ltd. employee to 10 years in prison for stealing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. ’s proprietary data, highlighting the growing threat of industrial espionage in the island’s most strategic sector. Ex-Tokyo Electron engineer Chen Li-ming was given the sentence by judge Chang Ming-huang at Taiwan’s Intellectual Property and Commercial Court ...
A Taiwanese court sentenced a former Tokyo Electron Ltd. employee to 10 years in prison for stealing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. ’s proprietary data, highlighting the growing threat of industrial espionage in the island’s most strategic sector. Ex-Tokyo Electron engineer Chen Li-ming was given the sentence by judge Chang Ming-huang at Taiwan’s Intellectual Property and Commercial Court on Monday. A Tokyo Electron spokesperson had no immediate comment. Read: TSMC Secrets Leak Puts Japan’s Tokyo Electron on Hot Seat The hefty prison term reflects the Taiwanese government’s renewed efforts to protect its world-class semiconductor industry, which powers the global AI rollout. TSMC is the primary chipmaker for Nvidia Corp. , Apple Inc. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Taiwanese companies have regularly been targeted for their intellectual property by entities with ties to Beijing, which is pushing hard to develop its own chip capabilities. In early 2025, Taiwan started an investigation into whether China’s leading chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. illegally poached local engineers as part of an effort to access the island’s cutting-edge chip technology.
Oil and natural gas are volatile, which generally makes energy stocks highly volatile as well. From a big picture perspective, the energy sector is a tough one for dividend investors, unless they dig in and learn about the midstream segment of the industry. Here's why even conservative dividend investors may find Enterprise Product Partners (NYSE: EPD) , Enbridge (NYSE: ENB) , and Energy Transfer ...
Oil and natural gas are volatile, which generally makes energy stocks highly volatile as well. From a big picture perspective, the energy sector is a tough one for dividend investors, unless they dig in and learn about the midstream segment of the industry. Here's why even conservative dividend investors may find Enterprise Product Partners (NYSE: EPD) , Enbridge (NYSE: ENB) , and Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ET) attractive high-yield energy opportunities in April. Upstream companies produce oil and natural gas. Downstream companies (chemical makers and refiners) take those commodities and process them into other products. Both of these segments of the broader energy sector are commodity-driven and volatile. Midstream companies are different. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
KanawatTH/iStock via Getty Images Earlier this month, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM ) reported better-than-expected earnings on booming AI chip demand, which indicated that suppliers like ASML ( ASML ) were also set for robust earnings reports. The Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment manufacturer indeed reported higher-than-expected earnings and revenues for Q1'26 amid growing dem...
KanawatTH/iStock via Getty Images Earlier this month, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM ) reported better-than-expected earnings on booming AI chip demand, which indicated that suppliers like ASML ( ASML ) were also set for robust earnings reports. The Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment manufacturer indeed reported higher-than-expected earnings and revenues for Q1'26 amid growing demand for its lithography machines that are a vital component in the chip manufacturing process. With CapEx spending set to surge higher in 2026 -- amid an expected expansion in the total addressable market for AI chips, led by hyperscalers -- I believe ASML remains an attractive investment choice in the supplier market for investors that want to gain exposure to the server and chip industry. Data by YCharts Previous Rating I rated shares of ASML a strong buy in October 2025 -- A Winner In The AI Arms Race -- in large part because the equipment manufacturer had strong implied operating margin upside in a market that was scrambling to get its hands on high-performing AI-optimized chips for Data Centers. I like the investment setup for ASML and see growing demand for lithography systems, which are needed to manufacture semiconductors at scale. ASML raised its top line outlook for FY 2026 and is set to remain a beneficiary of the booming AI chip market. Since CapEx spending is set to go all but up this year, ASML's strong buy rating is confirmed. ASML Surpassed Q1 '26 Expectations ASML reported higher-than-expected earnings and revenues for Q1 '26 quarter on April 15, 2026, supporting an overall bullish investment outlook for both the industry and ASML: the equipment manufacturer had non-GAAP earnings of $8.44 per share, beating the consensus estimate by $0.63 per share. The top line came in at $10.4B and was $108M better than the average prediction. Seeking Alpha ASML published a total top line figure of €8.8B for the first fiscal quarter, showing a year-over-year growth rate o...
Military video shows boat moving swiftly in water before explosion leaves it in flames The US military said on Sunday three men were killed when it struck a boat it claimed was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. This latest strike – which follows dozens of similar attacks on alleged drug boats in recent months – brings the US campaign’s death toll to at least 1...
Military video shows boat moving swiftly in water before explosion leaves it in flames The US military said on Sunday three men were killed when it struck a boat it claimed was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. This latest strike – which follows dozens of similar attacks on alleged drug boats in recent months – brings the US campaign’s death toll to at least 185, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse. Continue reading...