Applied Materials Remains Atop The Solar Equipment Market

Robert Castellano submits:Equipment used to manufacture photovoltaic (solar) cells will grow 34% in 2011, according to the report "Opportunities in The Solar Market For Crystalline and Thin Film Solar Cells," published by The Information Network.

By Robert Castellano:Despite huge investments over the past several years in new solar technology, Applied Materials (AMAT) lost its lead in the solar equipment market, dropping 78.6% year-on-year. (click to enlarge)

By Emmanuel Daugeras:A few weeks ago, I wrote an article arguing that Lam Research (LRCX) is a strong buy at the current valuation. Today I'm making the same argument for Applied Materials (AMAT), Lam Research's biggest competitor.

StreetAuthority submits: By Melvin PasternakYou've probably heard the word nanotechnology before, but can you define it? Simply put, nanotech involves creating systems built on a molecular scale. While the industrial practice is small, nanotech manufacturing is big business. It's also a very profitable one.

Joel West submits: The IPO of thin-film solar module maker Trony Solar (TRO) has been cancelled in the light of a lousy IPO climate that also claimed Solyndra’s (SOLY) IPO hopes. The Chinese firm had hoped to raise $200m.

By Trefis: Quick Take

By John Mylant: It appears that a good foundation along with promising market news will slowly propel Applied Materials (AMAT) into a bullish pattern this year. With the beginning of this growth, long-term stock investment and short-term option strategies offer income producing opportunities for the savvy investor. We have an example of a type of option strategy to implement here as Applied Materials starts to claw its way up.

By Osman Gulseven:Applied Materials (AMAT) is one of the largest semiconductor companies in the world. The company provides components primarily to TFT, semiconductor, and solar manufacturing industries. Founded in 1967, AMAT has 13,000 employees and offices in 16 countries spread across North America, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. AMAT has been the No.