Synopses & Reviews
The Fisher Investments On series is designed to provide individual investors, aspiring investment professionals, and students the tools necessary to understand and analyze investment opportunities--primarily for investing in global stocks. Each guide is an easily accessible primer to economic sectors, regions, or other components of the global stock market. While this guide focuses specifically on Technology, the basic investment methodology is applicable for analyzing any global equity category, regardless of the current macroeconomic environment.
Following a top-down approach to investing, Fisher Investments on Technology can help you make more informed decisions, specifically within this dynamic arena. It skillfully addresses how to determine optimal times to invest in Technology, what Technology industries are likely to do better, and how individual stocks can benefit in various environments. The global Technology sector is complex, covering many industries and countries with unique characteristics. Using the framework found here, you can discover how to identify their differences, spot opportunities, and avoid major pitfalls.
Divided into three comprehensive parts—Getting Started, Technology Details, and Thinking Like a Portfolio Manager—Fisher Investments on Technology:
Discusses the high-level economic, political, and sentiment drivers of the Technology sector
Details many of the challenges Technology firms face, including historical examples of how these challenges have been met and overcome
Walks you through the eight industries—as well as the sixteen sub-industries—within the global Technology sector and reveals how they operate and what drives their profitability
Delves into top-down investment methodology as well as individual security analysis
Covers the entire global Technology investment universe and its diverse components—from software and computers to semiconductors and communications equipment
Outlines a five-step process to help differentiate firms in this field—designed to help you identify ones with the greatest probability of outperforming
Filled with in-depth insights and expert advice, Fisher Investments on Technology provides a framework for understanding this sector and its industries to help you make better investment decisions—now and in the future. With this book as your guide, you can gain a global perspective of the Technology sector and discover strategies to help achieve your investing goals.
Synopsis
The sixth installment of the
Fisher Investments On series is a comprehensive guide to understanding and analyzing investment opportunities within the Technology sector.
Fisher Investments on Technology can help you quickly become familiar with this highly diversified sector, how the sector is segmented by industries, their respective macroeconomic drivers, and the challenges facing Technology firms.
This reliable guide skillfully addresses how to determine optimal times to invest in Technology stocks, and which industries and sub-industries have the potential to perform well in various environments. The global Technology sector is complex, including a variety of sub-industries and countries—each with their own unique characteristics. Using the framework found here, you'll discover how to identify these differences, spot opportunities, and avoid major pitfalls.
Fisher Investments on Technology:
- Discusses industry fundamentals, drivers, attributes, and potential challenges
- Addresses the challenges unique to Technology and some common pitfalls to avoid.
- Delves into top-down investment methodology as well as individual security analysis.
- Outlines a five-step process to help differentiate Technology firms—designed to help you identify ones that may have greatest probability of outperforming
- Provides investment strategies for a variety of market environments
Filled with in-depth insights and expert advice, Fisher Investments on Technology provides a framework for understanding this sector and its industries to help you make better investment decisions—now and in the future. With this book as your guide, you can gain a global perspective of the Technology sector and discover strategies to help achieve your investing goals.
Synopsis
While the innovative potential of technology is exciting, investing in this sector requires a good dose of discipline. Forecasting the ways in which technology transfers into stock price movements can be difficult, but
Fisher Investments on Technology can help you gain a better understanding of how this can be accomplished.
This installment of the Fisher Investments On series is an all-encompassing guide to understanding and analyzing investment opportunities within the global Technology sector. With this book as your guide, you'll quickly become familiar with the global Technology investment universe—from IT services and software to semiconductors and communications equipment—and discover a viable approach for identifying firms in this field with the greatest probability of outperforming. Along the way, you'll also become familiar with the high-level economic, political, and sentiment drivers behind this sector and how accurately identifying them can help determine when to overweight or underweight it.
You don't have to be a professional to successfully invest in the global Technology sector—but you do need to be prepared. Fisher Investments on Technology provides a framework for investing in Technology now and for the rest of your investing career.
About Fisher Investments Press
Fisher Investments Press brings the research, analysis, and market intelligence of Fisher Investments' research team, headed by CEO and New York Times bestselling author Ken Fisher, to all investors. The Press covers a range of investing and market-related topics for a wide audience—from novices to enthusiasts to professionals.
About the Author
Brendan Erne is an equity research analyst at Fisher Investments, focusing on the Global Technology sector. He is also a contributing columnist for MarketMinder.com. Erne received a BA in finance from Washington State University. Prior to joining Fisher Investments, he worked as a financial advisor for Ameriprise Financial in Bellevue, Washington. Originally from Redmond, Washington, Erne currently resides in San Francisco.
Andrew S. Teufel has been with Fisher Investments since 1995, where he currently serves as a Co-President and the Director of Research. Prior to joining Fisher Investments, he worked at Bear Stearns as a corporate finance analyst in its Global Technology Group. Teufel also instructs at many seminars and educational workshops throughout the United States and United Kingdom, and has lectured at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. He is also the Editor in Chief of MarketMinder.com. Teufel is a graduate of UC Berkeley.
Table of Contents
Foreword.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
Part I Getting Started in Technology.
Chapter 1 Technology Basics.
More Than Gadgets . . . A Means.
Technology 101.
Starting Small: Semiconductors.
Getting Larger: Products and Components.
Making It All Work: Software and Services.
Chapter 2 A Brief History of Modern Technology.
The Snowball Event: History of Semiconductors.
History of Computers.
History of Communications.
History of the Internet.
Chapter 3 Technology Sector Drivers.
Economic Drivers.
Political Drivers.
Sentiment Drivers.
Part II Next Steps: Technology Details.
Chapter 4 Technology Sector Breakdown.
Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).
Global Technology Benchmarks.
Technology Industry Breakdown Software.
Chapter 5 Challenges in the Information Technology Sector.
Product Maturity and Obsolescence.
Fighting Maturity and Obsolescence.
Extreme Fluctuations in Supply and Demand.
Intellectual Property Threats.
Chapter 6 A Deeper Look at Current and Emerging Technologies.
Semiconductor Production Process.
Emerging Manufacturing Technologies.
Computer Technology.
Part III Thinking Like a Portfolio Manager.
Chapter 7 The Top-Down Method.
Investing Is a Science.
Einstein’s Brain and the Stock Market.
The Top-Down Method.
Top-Down Deconstructed.
Managing Against a Technology Benchmark.
Chapter 8 Security Analysis.
Make Your Selection.
A Five-Step Process.
Important Questions to Ask.
Chapter 9 Upgrading Your Portfolio—Investing Strategies.
Strategy 1: Adding Value at the Sector Level.
Strategy 2: Adding Value at the Industry Level.
Strategy 3: Adding Value at the Security Level.
Strategy 4: Adding Value in a Technology Sector Downturn.
Strategy 5: Venture Capital.
Good Luck!
Glossary.
Notes.
About the Author.
Index.