I have traded the semiconductors over the years.  It is one of my favourite groups since the swings can be so wide.

The SOX is down 57% from its high in this bull market.  It is within 10% of the decade lows.  It is 22% away from the 1998 low and 40% from the 1996 low.

This is a graph of the ProShares Ultra Semiconductor ETF, which tracks the daily moves of the Dow Jones US Semiconductor index by 2x.  It is down 82% from its highs.

I track 42 semiconductor and equipment companies.  Fifteen are currently trading at their lowest levels in a decade.  Seventeen are trading below book value.  Twenty-two are trading below their book value lows of 2002.  The median stock is trading 14% below its decade lows while the median stock is within 3% of its book value low.  The median price to book is 1.1x.

Thirty-three have net cash on the balance sheet and 36 generated free cash flow over the prior 12 months.  Of those that have net cash on their balance sheets, the average net cash to market cap is 33% and the median is 27%.

I am long semiconductors.  I was waaaaaay too early in my initial purchase.  It was a horrible trade and demonstrates why you should not do what I do.  Heck, I did not do what I usually do as I violated my primary principal when trading the group - buy when the stocks are dirt cheap.  They were not dirt cheap.

But they are getting dirt cheap.

I will get much, much longer the chips some time in the future.