Shares of semiconductor giant Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) gained 14.2% in July 2018, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Investors seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as the proposed $44 billion buyout of automotive computing specialist NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI) finally came to a full stop.Qualcomm set a final deadline for itself, coinciding with the company's third-quarter earnings release.