Buy the Dip in Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM)

This week we are looking at another of the Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) Top 50 List companies.  We use this list in one of our options portfolios to spot outperforming stocks and place option spreads that take advantage of the momentum.

TSM’s solid fundamentals and positive technical outlook makes it an attractive stock to buy on dips. Take a look at what the following two articles have to say about the company’s growth prospects – Taiwan Semi Is Betting $28 Billion on Rising Demand for Chips and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing: Our Top Technology Pick For 2021 Is At The Heart Of The Next Wave Of Technology.

Technicals

If you zoom out to a larger timeframe like a weekly or monthly chart, it’s pretty much been a straight line up for TSM. The stock has posted a 47% gain over the last three months and has advanced 124% from a year ago. Dips have been shallow during this time which means the current 5% decline from recent highs could be a buying oppurtunity. Support is in play from the lower line of a rising trend channel that has contained price action since late December. There is also a horizontal level near the bottom of the channel at $128.50 to create a support confluence.

TSM Chart January 2021

If you agree there’s further upside ahead for TSM, consider this trade which relies on the stock remaining above $129 through the expiration in five weeks.

Buy To Open TSM 26FEB21 126 Puts (TSM210226P126)
Sell To Open TSM 26FEB21 129 Puts (TSM210226P129) for a credit of $1.45 (selling a vertical)

This credit is $0.02 less than the mid-point of the option spread when TSM was trading near $129.  Unless the stock rallies quickly from here, you should be able to get close to this amount.

Your commission on this trade will be only $1.30 per spread.  Each spread would then yield $143.70. This reduces your buying power by $300 and makes your investment $156.30 ($300 – $143.70).  If TSM closes at any price above $129 on February 26, both options will expire worthless, and your return on the spread would be 92% ($143.70 / $156.30), or 1049% annualized.

Changes to Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) Top 50 This Week:

IBD Underlying Updates January 23, 2021

We have found that the Investor’s Business Daily Top 50 List has been a reliable source of stocks that are likely to move higher in the short run.  Recent additions to the list might be particularly good choices for this strategy, and deletions might be good indicators for exiting a position that you might already have on that stock.

As with all investments, you should only make option trades with money that you can truly afford to lose.

Happy trading,

Terry