Revamped Harry Potter and the Cursed

Technology strategist Jahanara Nissar is the managing partner at Lynx Equity Strategies in New York City. A theater enthusiast, Jahanara Nissar enjoys seeing Broadway productions.

One high-profile play that started previews in November 2021 is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. J.K. Rowling, director John Tiffany, and playwright Jack Thorne coauthored the two-part production for its opening in 2018. However, the original two-part play ran five hours and required the purchase of two tickets. The reopened production has been condensed into one evening. It follows Harry Potter and his friends Hermione and Ron on a new adventure nearly two decades after they rescued the wizarding world from certain doom.

With Harry now a father seeing his youngest son off to school at Hogwarts Academy, the “epic epilogue” features intricate dance-like ensemble pieces with capes, wands, spells, and flying demons. The play also traverses a science fiction-meets-fantasy plot that involves an alternative universe and time loops. With reviews characterizing the play as dazzling and immersive but long and convoluted, the new production may hit a streamlined, winning formula.

To become a Stock Analyst

An alumnus of Mount Union College, Jahanara Nissar was the Vice President Equities Desk Analyst of Alliance Bernstein in New York between 2012 and 2015. As a technology specialist and desk analyst, Jahanara Nissar has been quoted for his analytical comments and views on the StreetInsider, Business Standard, and Bloomberg.

A stock analyst is a financial analyst who studies the stock market and makes performance predictions. Here are three considerations if you want to become an analyst.

1. Educational requirements

To become a stock analyst has no formal minimum educational requirements. However, most employers will want a degree in a relevant field such as finance, economics, or statistics.

2. Licensing and certifications

Some financial and stock analyst positions involve selling and buying financial products, and some states may require licensing. You stand a better chance with employers if you pursue the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification from an accredited CFA Institute.

3. Join professional associations

You enhance your credentials when you join professional associations such as the Association for Financial Professionals or the Society of Financial Service Professionals. This allows networking with other analysts.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.