Strengthening positionAccording to the WSJ,
Applied Materials (
AMAT)is strengthening its position in the solar space. The company announceda $1.9 billion deal, its largest in history, with an unidentified buyeroutside of the U.S. to help outfit factories in solar panel production.The factories are expected to produce solar photovoltaic modules thatare capable of generating electricity on a scale of a gigawatt. Thedeal highlights the company’s recent efforts in expanding beyond thechip-manufacturing business. AMAT shares gained nearly 8% on the newsyesterday