Gold (one troy ounce) (GOLD) vs Lam Research Corporation (LRCX)

Gold priced in U.S. dollars represents the market value of one troy ounce of gold. Gold is widely used as a store of value, reserve asset, jewelry input, and industrial material, and it often attracts demand during periods of inflation concern, currency weakness, or financial stress. Its price is influenced by real interest rates, central-bank buying, investor flows, mining supply, jewelry demand, and the strength of the U.S. dollar.

Lam Research Corp is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment. The company specializes in deposition and etch technologies, which involve building layers on a semiconductor wafer and selectively removing patterns from each layer. Lam holds the leading market share in etch and ranks a clear second in deposition. It has greater exposure to memory chipmakers, particularly in DRAM and NAND. Its major customers include some of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, such as TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and Micron.