The Daily Interview: Dueling Semiconductor Analysts

In the past two weeks, the semiconductor sector has been a breeding ground for controversy. A pair of dueling analyst notes, an upgrade from Salomon Smith Barney's Jonathan Joseph and a downgrade from Merrill Lynch's Joe Osha, has forced the rest of the analyst community into two camps. On one side are those who think the worst is over, recommending stocks because of their low prices. On the other, analysts insist that it's just too early to rally and there won't be any reason to buy stock for the next few quarters.

Jeremy Lopez Semiconductor analyst Morningstar

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Investors listened to Joseph, sending the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index up 50% in just one week and adding one more issue to the bubbling pot. Is this wannabe rally already overbought?

To get to the bottom of the matter, Daily Interview talked to Jeremy Lopez, a semiconductor analyst with Morningstar, which avoids using buy or sell ratings and has no banking relationships. ...