Demand in the semiconductor market can be volatile over the short-term. According to the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, the worldwide semiconductor market rose 21.6% in 2017. In 2018, however, growth is forecast to slow down to 15.7%. Such cyclicality is normal for the semiconductor industry. Investors who are investing in semiconductor-related stocks should look at the long-term trends instead. Investors can learn about growth trends in the industry by looking at large semiconductor manufacturers. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, or TSMC, is the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry. I recently looked at what the company had to say about the semiconductor industry’s growth in its 2018 second-quarter earnings conference call transcript. TSMC�

Benjamin Graham, who was Warren Buffett’s mentor, once said: “In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.” What Graham meant is that in the short-term (days and months), stocks can fluctuate wildly. But in the long-term, companies with strong earnings tend to do better than those without. The best shares of the decade Over the past 10 years, the 15 best-performing stocks in Singapore’s market are: 1. AEM Holdings Ltd (SGX:AWX); 2. Best World International Limited (SGX:CGN); 3. BreadTalk Group Limited (SGX:CTN); 4. CITIC Envirotech Ltd (SGX:CEE); 5. Straco Corporation Limited (SGX:S85); 6. UMS Holdings Limited (SGX:558); 7. Tianjin Zhong Xin Pharmaceutical Group Corporation Limited (SGX:T14); 8. China Sunsine Chemical Holding

The FTSE ST Small Cap Index is a common barometer of how the small cap companies in Singapore are doing. It comprises of 65 constituent stocks and REITs, and includes companies from manufacturing, healthcare, energy and real estate. A recent report by the Singapore Exchange highlighted five of the highest yielding stocks in that index, excluding REITs. The top five stocks had a dividend yield of between 5% and 10.6%, and an average yield of 6.2%. Here’s a list of those top five stocks, starting from the bottom. Hi-P International Ltd (SGX: H17) is fifth on the list with a dividend yield of 5%. It is an integrated contract manufacturer that serves a wide range of industries, including consumer electronics, and medical, industrial, among others. The group divides its business into thre