Money should rotate from software back into semiconductors as software multiples get frothier, a contrarian call against the current narrative that SaaS has an AI tailwind. x.comÂ
Kaushik
Equity Research Writer for Wiseman Capital
Some semiconductor stocks have returned to reasonable valuations as fundamentals improve, making recent declines buying opportunities. Many had traded at two to three times their median valuations; the correction brought some back toward normal, while sustained AI spending should benefit suppliers for years. x.comÂ
Semiconductors could stay undersupplied for a long time as more capable AI per dollar creates more uses and drives compute demand. Micron and NVIDIA trade at low forward P/Es because investors fear peak cyclical earnings, yet current earnings show no slowdown. Shortages may worsen as AI adoption spreads, though the industry could remain cyclical; a reversal of the forced rollover trade is hoped for, not assured. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Tech and semiconductor bounces are mainly driven by less urgent hedge-fund selling rather than fresh buying. Per Goldman Sachs, tech is still being sold amid very low activity; there is no sign risk has been added yet. The unwind may be nearing its end, especially as hyperscalers stick to capex plans and Q3 semiconductor earnings look likely to be positive. Less crowded positioning and more normal multiples leave a healthier base for a longer-term rebuild. x.comÂ
Semiconductors could leg up hard on real profits and pull capital out of SaaS. Chip stocks are printing earnings without circular financing or off-balance-sheet shenanigans, and they have recently moved with a -1 correlation to SaaS. With volume this heavy, lifting the chip ETFs 2% takes a lot of actual dollars, funded from SaaS, which has less liquidity to absorb the selling; if past is prologue, a semiconductor rally would crush SaaS. x.comÂ
Semiconductor fundamentals have improved as SpaceX and Meta say spending will rise further, while rates have come down. Earlier caution rested on fears that megacaps could not sustain spending and rising rates would slow AI investment; neither worry has played out. Today's selling feels more like stops being hit and investors giving up. x.com x.comÂ
Semiconductor stocks' easy-money phase is over as the sector shifts from hype to show-me-the-money. The SOX index is down over 15% from its June peak, chip funds saw $11B of outflows in one week, the largest this century, short interest is at a three-year high and earnings growth is projected to slow by 2027. Memory and logic chips remain commodity-like. This is cyclical cooling, not a death knell; the AI build-out continues, but expect more turbulence and favor companies with defensive moats. … Show more
Semiconductors are the cheapest layer of the AI trade yet have the fastest earnings growth, so the AI bubble debate misses the point. Semis trade at 17.8x while software, up only 2%, trades at 25x. The market isn't pricing AI; it's pricing who keeps the margin. x.comÂ
Semiconductor earnings have outpaced prices, making the selloff look more like forced positioning than a broken growth case. Since January 2025, the SOX rose about 114% while reconstructed forward earnings rose about 198%; the estimate is approximate. Hedge funds sold global tech at a greater-than-three-standard-deviation pace in October 5-16, a pattern seen near earlier lows, though another sharp flush could come before a reversal. x.comÂ
Money will rotate out of extended semiconductor stocks into SpaceX, not into software, as index funds must buy SpaceX for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. Sentiment favoring a semis-to-software rotation should change once SpaceX lists. Software will do fine, but only the best names will be re-rated. x.com x.comÂ
Software's relative strength and sound finances make institutional rotation from semis plausible. It could lead while semis consolidate, despite slow growth at some firms; the market rewards cash flow, healthy balance sheets and manageable debt. Salesforce, ServiceNow, Palantir, Shopify and Workday hold up; SAP's cloud and AI shift, Instacart's massive 10-month base, Veeva's massive five-year base and Atlassian's Stage 2 strength add to the case. Semis may still rally; the view can change. x.com … Show more