Will 2018 Be Qualcomm Inc's Best Year Yet?

Shares of Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), the biggest mobile chipmaker in the world, rose just 6% this year -- a paltry gain compared to the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index's rally of nearly 50%. Let's see where things went wrong for Qualcomm, and whether or not it will fare better in 2018.

Qualcomm's licensing (QTL) business takes a cut of the wholesale price of every smartphone sold worldwide, and this high-margin business generates most of its pre-tax earnings. Unfortunately, the QTL business has been targeted by regulators in China, South Korea, Taiwan, the US, and Europe, which all claim that its cut (up to 5%) is too high.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 SoC. Image source: Qualcomm.

Source: Fool.com