Making Cents Sense

Taiwan Semiconductor Is Printing Money From AI. Now Comes the Expensive Part: Proving Today's Chip Shortage Won't Become Tomorrow's Overcapacity. October 17, 2026 | Stock Analysis • Artificial Intelligence • Semiconductor Investing I've followed enough earnings reports to know that occasionally a company delivers numbers so extraordinary that I find myself checking whether someone accidentally added an extra digit. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM) just delivered one of those reports. Third-quarter revenue surged 50.9% in New Taiwan dollar terms. Net income jumped 68.7%. Gross margins reached 66.4%, operating margins climbed to 58.7%, and net profit margins hit an almost ridiculous 51.1%. Let me put that last number into perspective. For every $100 in revenue, TSMC retained roughly $51 in accounting profit after expenses and taxes. That's the kind of profitability I normally associate with dominant software businesses, companies that can sell an...

STOCK MARKET NEWS | OCTOBER 16, 2026 | STOCK ANALYSIS As HVAC demand begins to stabilize, investors face a difficult question: Is Watsco an undervalued dividend powerhouse or a struggling distributor with more pain ahead? NYSE: WSO Industrials · HVAC Distribution $299.50 +1.49% October 15, 2026 closing price. Not a live quote. StockAnalysis.com +1 Forward P/E 24.1x Dividend yield* 4.4% Q2 revenue growth +2% *Annualized indicated dividend divided by October 15 share price. Valuation sourced from StockAnalysis. StockAnalysis.com +1 MIAMI, Florida — Not every compelling investment opportunity comes wrapped in artificial intelligence, semiconductor breakthroughs, or the latest technology revolution. Sometimes, an interesting stock belongs to a company that sells something considerably less exciting: air conditioners. That brings us to Watsco Inc., the largest distributor of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration equipment in North America. The company operates a spra...

Four companies, four different investment stories, and one question every value investor should ask: Am I buying a genuinely undervalued business, or am I simply buying something that has gotten cheaper for a very good reason? October 16, 2026 | Stock Analysis • Value Investing • Dividend Investing I've always believed that some of the best opportunities in the stock market emerge when investors become frustrated, impatient, or simply lose interest in otherwise respectable businesses. Wall Street has a remarkable ability to convince itself that a company experiencing temporary difficulties must be permanently damaged. Sometimes that pessimism is justified. Other times, it creates precisely the kind of valuation disconnect that patient investors should be looking for. The challenge is knowing the difference. As I examine the market in October 2026, I'm increasingly interested in companies that offer something more tangible than an exciting growth narrative. I want operating cash...