Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) vs Silver (one troy ounce) (SILVER)

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.

Silver priced in U.S. dollars represents the market value of one troy ounce of silver. Silver is both a precious metal and an industrial commodity, used in jewelry, investment products, electronics, solar panels, and other manufacturing applications. Its price is influenced by precious-metals demand, industrial activity, mine supply, investor flows, real interest rates, and the U.S. dollar. Because it has significant industrial uses, silver can be more cyclical and volatile than gold.