Chip wars: Semiconductors continue to cause volatility

Are there any winners?

Investors have had a plethora of headwinds and uncertainty to navigate this year. Added back to the agenda more recently is the reminder that US and China trade tensions have not gone away.

In early October, the United States Commerce Department published its official rules on technology bans in relation to semiconductor technologies to China. Equity markets trembled once again. What was announced? The US updated its list which essentially places export controls on certain technologies reaching select end users. In this case, China-based and China-linked companies. The existing Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR) is a tool the US can use to effectively stop any product from being sold anywhere in the world if that product uses a substantial amount of American technology...