What Happened?

A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after the VanEck Semiconductor ETF jumped nearly 5% in response to the de-escalation of the U.S.-Iran conflict. 

The sector rallied specifically because semiconductors were highly vulnerable to the supply chain disruptions that occurred during the war. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is a critical victory for the industry, as the waterway is essential for the transit of noble gases and materials used in chip fabrication.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.

Among others, the following stocks were impacted:

• Semiconductor Manufacturing company FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) jumped 12.3%. Is now the time to buy FormFactor? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Semiconductor Manufacturing company Amkor (NASDAQ: AMKR) jumped 11.8%. Is now the time to buy Amkor? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Semiconductor Manufacturing company Entegris (NASDAQ: ENTG) jumped 10.1%. Is now the time to buy Entegris? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Semiconductor Manufacturing company Kulicke and Soffa (NASDAQ: KLIC) jumped 8.9%. Is now the time to buy Kulicke and Soffa? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Semiconductor Manufacturing company Nova (NASDAQ: NVMI) jumped 7.7%. Is now the time to buy Nova? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.

Zooming In On FormFactor (FORM)

FormFactor’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 41 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for FormFactor and indicate this news significantly impacted the market’s perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 9 days ago when the stock dropped 5.5% on the news that rising geopolitical tensions from the Iran war, threatened to disrupt critical supply chains. 

The conflict raised alarms beyond oil prices, with a significant risk looming over the supply of essential gases, such as helium, which are vital for semiconductor manufacturing. Major chip fabricators, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix, were projected to face significant production challenges in the event of a supply constraint. 

Such disruptions would create cascading effects across the tech industry, impacting the production of everything from Apple's iPhones to Nvidia's advanced AI servers. The uncertainty has contributed to a broader market downturn, pushing the Nasdaq into a correction.

FormFactor is up 98.7% since the beginning of the year, and at $117.64 per share, has set a new 52-week high. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FormFactor’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $2,315.

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