Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT)

Trump administration taps former GlaxoSmithKline exec as head of vaccine task force, and how I'm playing Walmart and Datadog.

The direction of the market in the coming weeks will hinge in part on progress in reopening the U.S. and European economies.

For now, chip equipment makers are still mostly seeing strong orders. But COVID-19 lockdowns and softer chip demand are potential headwinds.

It's a paradigm shift that all started with Zoom and Cisco's Webex.

The Fed has attacked developing problems in real-time -- and as China shows signs of life, the semi stocks are benefitting.

Splitting one's bets between blue chips and a smaller basket of high-upside plays with more risk could work well over the long run.

In spite of the market's epic plunge, a lot of well-known tech names are still comfortably above their 52-week lows.

Chip equipment and memory stock particularly look more attractive now.

We play the game in front of us. We try to excel in the environment provided.

The charts and indicators of AMAT -- which is set to release earnings Wednesday -- show higher prices are likely in the weeks ahead.

China-based Alibaba reports quarterly performance Thursday morning. While one might think that an e-commerce type operation could do well in a quarantined environment, it's not quite that easy.

TSMC issued a strong Q1 sales outlook amid heavy demand for its most advanced manufacturing processes. And it shared a capex budget that has given a boost to chip equipment stocks.

MagnaChip Semiconductor and Ichor Holdings have joined the ranks of industry firms to announce that their Q4 sales were better than previously expected.

I am simply respectful of the power of hope melded with the strength of so many parts of technology and I want to buy, not sell, these stocks when they get hammered.

A lot of the names that fell hard after the Clinton impeachment have been record earners since then.

When it seems daylight is on the horizon, semiconductor stocks really take off.

There's still some value to be found in the sector. But a lot of the easy money has definitely been made.

The PC giants said they now expect Intel CPU shortages to continue into 2020, with Dell indicating costlier CPUs are now also affected. That could spell a bigger opening for AMD.

Also, Fed Chairman Powell says there are no plans for a U.S. digital currency (for now), plus Tesla's electric pickup.

Strong markets tend to stay sticky to the upside, and the mild pressure on the indices isn't preventing some good stock picking.

What is most notable about this market action is that it never seems to fully discount the optimism about a China trade deal.

The market has not had a dip that has lasted longer than an hour in nearly six weeks.

Headline blur. What channel to watch? Who to listen to in real time? How to trade it? Should you trade it? Is anyone even trading anything?

Tesla and Lam Research are soaring post-earnings, while Twitter is plunging. Here's a look at what's driving the moves.

The indices are within striking distance of the July highs after moving into position for a possible strong finish to the year.

The tech sector has been the victim of the recent "on again, off again" rotation. That may really just mean that the group has been victimized by its own success.