NXP Semiconductors NV provides a wide range of semiconductor products. The company's portfolio includes microcontrollers; application and communication processors; wireless connectivity solutions, such as near-field communications, ultra-wideband, Bluetooth low-energy, ZigBee, and Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth integrated SoCs; analog and interface devices; radio frequency power amplifiers; security controllers; and semiconductor-based environmental and inertial sensors. Its products are used in a range of applications, including automotive, industrial, internet of things, mobile, and communications infrastructure. The company markets its products globally to original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, contract manufacturers, and distributors. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. It has 34,000 employees. The shares are a component of the S&P 500.

Stocks had another good day on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 (SPX), S&P 100 (OEX), Nasdaq, and Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) all rising about 0.6%. The major indices are putting together a very good streak. Over the past six days, the SPX has popped 7.8%, the best move since March 2022 (which turned out to be a bear-market rally); November 2020; and March and April 2020 (coming out of the pandemic). Prior to 2020, we have not seen that much strength over a six-day period since 2011. The Nasdaq and the QQQ have jumped 10% in six days, but this is much more common with these more-volatile indices. The major indices are quickly approaching some key pieces of resistance, so it wouldn't be surprising if stocks cooled off a bit in the not-too-distant future. The sharply declining 50-day average for the SPX will be near 5,600 in a couple of days, while a 61.8% retracement of the correction lies at 5,646. The flat 200-day is up at 5,746 and overhead supply starts at 5,700 and runs back up to the old highs above 6,100. Both the Nasdaq and the QQQ have almost reached their 50-day averages, with a 61.8% retracement for the Nasdaq coming in at 18,070 and a 61.8% take back for the QQQ at 487. The 200-day for the Nasdaq is at 18,300 and for the QQQ it is at 490. While we have seen multiple breadth thrusts, which generally bode well for the intermediate/long-term, many breadth measures remain depressed and will need to improve in the months ahead. Only 37% of the stocks in the S&P 500 are above their 200-day; for the OEX, the reading is 47%; and for the QQQ it is 43%.

NXP Semiconductors is a leading supplier of high-performance mixed-signal products. The firm acquired Freescale Semiconductor in 2015 and now has significant market share in the automotive market, where it supplies microcontrollers and analog chips into automotive clusters, powertrains, infotainment systems, and radars. NXP Semiconductors also serves industrial and Internet of Things, mobile, and communications infrastructure.

With the current stock turmoil, global stocks, and especially stocks that pay dividends, are a potential option for investors. While the S&P 500 has fallen 12% year to date, the EAFE Index of large- and mid-cap stocks based in countries other than the U.S. and Canada has gained 1%. That's quite a change from the recent record. Over the past five years, the S&P 500 has advanced 109% compared to a 50% gain in EAFE. But the underperformance has given global stocks a valuation advantage, particularly in the area of dividends. Consider that the EAFE dividend yield of 3.0% is roughly 175 basis points higher than the comparable S&P 500 dividend yield. We think global dividend stocks continue to offer opportunity, particularly given the endless speculation over the direction of interest rates in the U.S., which has created market-timing headaches for equity income investors. These investors have endured recent wide swings in prices for rate-sensitive equity groups such as utilities, REITs and MLPs. In our view, investing in international income stocks is one way to increase portfolio diversification while reducing sensitivity to volatile U.S interest rates. Investing in overseas stocks carries its own set of risks, including the impact of currency exchange and geopolitical turmoil. But there are also a number of positives in this asset class for U.S. investors, including a wide selection of companies that pay dividends, robust industry diversification, and, as we have mentioned, higher yields and lower valuations. Argus has recently boosted its global coverage, and recommends the following international dividend stocks, each of which has at least a long-term BUY rating from an Argus analyst. This list of approximately 25-30 companies offers exposure to eight of the 11 major industrial sectors, and includes companies from 10 countries.