Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Thematic Investment Strategies


The New Yok-based Jahanara Nissar graduated with honors in mathematics from Mount Union College, New York. Among other responsibilities, the Alliance Bernstein vice president and analyst conducted channel checks. As a technology specialist and stocks analyst, Jahanara Nissar was voted second-highest in identifying investment themes and strategies among sector specialists.

In the challenging economic environment of today, institutional investors are reimagining their investment strategies. Many had long-held traditional views of “relative investment” investment frameworks, which were founded on either pursuing certain indexes or benchmarks or deviating from them. Institutional investors are now adopting strategic “thematic” investment themes.

The goal of thematic investment approaches is to leverage the many opportunities presented by long-term global structural trends in different asset classes. Thematic investing also takes advantage of the predictable medium-term cyclicality associated with these long-term global trends.

This type of investment strategy allows investors to act with precision in asset class trends that matter most. Many thematic strategies have sustainability at the core, with themes such as the transition to greener energy, climate change, and healthcare innovation being key players.

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Benefits of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)

Jahanara Nissar earned his BS in mathematics and computer science from Mount Union College in Alliance, New York. He was also initiated in Alpha Lambda Delta. As a vice president and technology specialist at Alliance Bernstein, Jahanara Nissar collaborated with portfolio management to create exchange traded fund (ETF) portfolios.

An ETF is a basket of financial assets such as securities or investments rolled into one share. ETFs allow an investor access to a broad range of investment markets. Here are three additional benefits associated with ETFs.

Transparency
The investment objectives of ETFs are clearly spelled out. Issuers of ETFs publicly disclose their portfolio holdings daily, thus enabling participants to know when to create shares or redeem them. Most ETF providers maintain updated websites.

Versatility
ETFs are very versatile as they allow easy movement of money between asset classes such as bonds, stocks, or commodities. In addition, because ETFs are traded on the public exchange like stocks, trading can occur anytime during market trading hours.

Less overhead
Exchange traded funds track against a predetermined benchmark index; they don’t require active management by financial managers who often try to outsmart the market. Being passive investments, ETFs are more cost-effective, with less fees and overhead.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Beginner Tips for Marathon Running

Jahanara Nissar has a BS from Mount Union College and was initiated in Pi Mu Epsilon. He is the vice president with Alliance Bernstein, an equities analytic and trading firm in New York. In 2014, Jahanara Nissar and Alliance Bernstein were recognized on Bernstein’s trading desk. When not dealing with and analyzing stocks, he enjoys running and participated in the 2006 Marine Corps Marathon.

Running a marathon is a huge undertaking and should not be taken lightly. Here are three tips for the beginner marathon runner.

Know the route in advance
Familiarizing yourself with the route will pay dividends on the event day. Know where to walk and the location of steep climbs as well as other physical features; that can help plan your race to avoid burnout.

Find a running mate or mutual support group
The decision to participate in a marathon alone takes courage. The joy and satisfaction on completing the grueling run will be worth the effort, but you need to ensure you make it to the finishing line. Look for a running partner or a group to run with. That person or group will not only motivate you but can also help you in a time of need.

While running, keep your head up
As the marathon progresses and you begin to tire, you are likely to find yourself spending most of the running time looking at your feet instead of the road ahead. Stooping is not only unhealthy for your spine alignment, but it can also dampen your spirit. Try as much as possible to look ahead, making eye contact with other runners or the crowd.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Semiconductor Supply Chain in Taiwan


Based in New York, Jahanara Nissar serves as managing partner at Lynx Equity Strategies. Jahanara Nissar has extensive knowledge of hardware, information technology, and semiconductor stocks and touched on Taiwanese chip production bottlenecks in a piece published in Street Insider.

In early June 2021, chip testing services leader King Yuan Electronics (KYEC) was forced to suspend production for two days because of a COVID-19 outbreak among foreign workers at the company. This impacted the semiconductor backend supply chain, which provides product testing, wafer probing, and assembly solutions to major companies such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, Intel, and Mediatek.

KYEC boasts the backend supply chain industry’s second-largest testing revenue for semiconductors. It supplies wafer probing, product testing, and assembly services to the likes of Qualcomm, Intel, Nvidia, MediaTek, and Novatek.

The broader global semiconductor shortage continues to be a high-profile issue. America’s top diplomat went so far as to raise the issue with Taiwan in formal meetings, as it has impacted several United States auto manufacturers.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., a leader in contract chipmaking, describes a situation of gradually easing supply stress but notes that semiconductor capacity tightness is a persistent issue that will likely extend to 2023. At the same time, Apple iPhone assembler Foxconn stated that the COVID-19 resurgence in Asia could further impact its technology supply chain.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

AMD and Xilinx Merger Hinges



Based in New York, Jahanara Nissar serves as managing partner at Lynx Equity Strategies and delivers research focused on technology stocks spanning hardware, semiconductors, and the Internet. Drawing on leadership experience with Alliance Bernstein, Jahanara Nissar regularly provides opinions on financial sites such as Bloomberg and Street Insider.

In early August 2021, she described a widening spread related to the proposed merger between Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) and Xilinx, as having reached "extreme irrationality.” The discount market close of 40 percent seemed to reflect an investor's belief that the deal closure probability was nearly zero. With Chinese antitrust approval the major obstacle, AMD stock rose nearly six percent, while Xilinx fell 3.7 percent.

The AMD stock price surge, 24 percent total from late July to early August, reflected strong reported corporate results. Regulatory approvals for the Xilinx acquisition were attained in markets such as the UK and EU. From AMD’s perspective, the firm was still on track to achieve approval from Chinese authorities, with a 50 percent chance of ultimate success forecast.

According to Ms. Nissar, despite China’s increasingly harsh stance on technology mergers, this moderately positive potential for the merger is closer to reality than the “near-zero probability scenario” envisioned by some investors.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Broadway Theaters Open to Full Capacity



As a managing partner at Lynx Equity Strategies, Jahanara Nissar is a Technology Strategist who focuses on tech stocks spanning semiconductors and the Internet. An avid theatergoer, Jahanara Nissar enjoys going to Broadway shows when she has the opportunity.

The first half of 2021 has been quiet on Broadway, with shows such as Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre closed due to pandemic restrictions. This has had a profound economic impact. The theater industry is large, with financial benefits rippling throughout the community, from stagehand and actors to local hotels.

For this reason, three of the most profitable mega-musicals, “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” and “Hamilton,” are returning to full capacity from mid-September 2021. To ensure safe reopening, the Broadway League announced strict protocols, such as vaccination and mask requirements, at every theater on Broadway.

A larger factor than the ability to sell the maximum number of tickets is whether tourism will recover quickly enough to generate the sold-out halls envisioned. Tourists make up more than two-thirds of Broadway ticket sales, and their numbers are still drastically reduced. With 66.6 million visitors having visited New York City in 2019, the forecast for 2021 is 36.1 million visitors.

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Strategy Behind Intel’s Potential Global

As managing partner at Lynx Equity Strategies in New York, Jahanara Nissar draws on executive experience with Alliance Bernstein in delivering analytically informed financial services. Regularly quoted in publications such as Bloomberg and the Economic Times, Jahanara Nissar gave her opinion to StreetInsider regarding Intel’s potential acquisition of Global Foundries, Inc. in July 2021.

Intel is seeking to reestablish its dominance in the competitive microprocessor chip production arena. In March 2021, CEO Pat Gelsinger announced that the company would funnel $20 billion into a pair of Arizona chip foundries developed from the ground up as the Intel Foundry Services (IFS) division. It is forecasted that this division will enable Intel to produce CPUs in-house with ARM cores.

Intel’s semiconductor strategy with IFS focuses on creating the higher-speed processors required in leading-edge laptops, desktops, and servers. At the heart of this is a next-generation Extreme Ultraviolet fabrication process already in use by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Acquiring Global Foundries would allow Intel to cover all bases and also compete in the nonhigh performance category, which is dominated by Chinese companies.

Ms. Nissar noted that such an acquisition, valued at approximately $30 billion, would positively impact, as it would be a necessary component of Intel’s competing effectively in all areas of the foundry business.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

New York City's Plan to Reopen the Arts



Jahanara Nissar was a Desk Specialist at Sanford C. Bernstein 2012-2105, covering Media, telco, Cable & Internet sectors., in New York In her free time, Jahanara Nissar enjoys Broadway and theater productions, as well as reading and running.

Broadway is currently closed until May 30, but the state is considering ways to reopen theaters and other indoor venues. These plans involve reduced crowd sizes that undergo rapid COVID testing and sit in a socially distanced manner. This plan has already been put into motion at Buffalo Bills games, and the state plans to try it out on smaller indoor spaces such as the Apollo Theater. This plan is also based on the case numbers in the area.

The state is also managing a series of 300 artistic pop-ups ending on Labor Day in venues such as parks and subway platforms. This program, called NY PopsUp, will also include the Tribeca Film Festival, which will host screenings in parks, on buildings, and on piers. The state hopes that, by the end of NY PopsUp, the city will be close to full reopening.