Computer chips, or semiconductors, power everything from cars to consumer electronics, such as PCs, gaming consoles and smartphones. The recent shortage in this valuable resource has significant implications for consumer prices, company profits, employment, inflation, and even national security. While we expect the chip bottleneck to ease somewhat in the second half of the year, particularly for car companies, stronger demand for semiconductors is set to stay. Over the longer term, we expect a semiconductor supercycle with continued demand from traditional sources, such as consumer electronics, supplemented by ... (full story)