10 Questions With Chipinvestor.com's Manoj Nadkarni

Investors in semiconductors can be forgiven for feeling testy these days. Though the chip industry has formally begun a recovery, stock prices have swooned in the past few months. The benchmark Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index has lost more than half its value since peaking in March.

While unit sales of chips are on the upswing, stocks have stayed under pressure as leading companies like Intel (INTC Quote) and AMD (AMD Quote) duke it out for market share. Meanwhile, major equipment suppliers like Novellus (NVLS Quote) and Lam Research (LRCX Quote) just forecast a potential drop-off in orders for the quarter under way. ...