Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) finished Tuesday’s regular session essentially flat and remained steady in after-hours trading—an anticlimactic close on price, but a busy day for the narrative around Intel’s U.S. manufacturing push, its 18A ramp, and what options traders are signaling into a holiday-shortened session on Wednesday, December 24.
As of roughly 6:26 p.m. ET (after the closing bell), INTC traded around $36.35, little changed from the regular session close. During Tuesday’s session, the stock moved between roughly $36.04 and $36.80 on about 35.9 million shares, a lighter-than-usual day for Intel.
Below is what mattered for Intel stock after the bell on 12/23/2025—and what to watch before the market opens on 12/24/2025.
Intel stock price check: what happened in Tuesday’s session and after hours
Intel shares ended Tuesday near $36.35, down only a fraction from the prior close and roughly unchanged after-hours.
Two context points matter heading into Wednesday:
- Volume was muted: Intel’s Tuesday volume (about 35.9M) came in well below its recent average (about 55.7M), consistent with the “holiday week” tape where liquidity can be thinner and moves can be choppier than they look.
- Intel is still off its early-December levels: the stock is about 8% below the ~$39–$40 area seen earlier this month, and about 16% below its 52-week high. [1]
That backdrop matters because low-liquidity sessions can exaggerate both breakouts and breakdowns—especially in single-name semis.
Today’s Intel headlines: Fab 52 momentum grabs attention again
A major theme in Tuesday’s Intel coverage was Fab 52—Intel’s large Arizona facility tied to the company’s leading-edge 18A node.
Why Fab 52 was back in the spotlight today
Fresh commentary highlighted two ideas investors keep circling:
- Capacity and “U.S. scale”
A deep dive into Intel’s Arizona footprint described Fab 52 as designed for about 10,000 wafer starts per week (roughly 40,000 wafer starts per month at full ramp). [2] - Equipment and competitiveness vs. U.S. TSMC capacity
Reporting and analysis today emphasized that Fab 52’s toolset and roadmap positioning could compare favorably with current and planned U.S. production at rivals—though the key question remains how quickly Intel can translate tooling and capacity into yield maturity and economics. [3]
Intel itself has already put an official marker down: in its Q3 2025 release, the company said Fab 52 became fully operational and manufactures Intel 18A wafers, describing 18A as the most advanced logic wafers developed and produced in the U.S. [4]
The important nuance investors are watching: ramp speed and yields
One of the most relevant “reality checks” in today’s Fab 52 discussion: even if capacity is large on paper, utilization and profitability depend on where Intel is on the yield curve for 18A-class production. Some reporting noted Intel expects 18A yields to reach “world-class” levels later—suggesting the ramp may not be linear and may take time to fully monetize. [5]
For INTC stock, that’s the heart of the bull/bear debate: manufacturing progress is necessary—but not sufficient—without sustained yield, customer pull, and margin recovery.
CES is approaching: Panther Lake buzz adds a near-term catalyst
Another thread in today’s analysis: Intel is moving into CES season (early January), where product messaging and platform readiness can drive sentiment—especially after a strong year for the stock and a choppy December pullback.
One report pointed to new Linux support work for the “50xx” neural processing unit (NPU) on Panther Lake, framing it as a small but meaningful readiness signal ahead of CES-era product showcasing. [6]
For investors, CES typically doesn’t replace earnings as a catalyst—but it can influence the “confidence slope” around roadmap execution, OEM design momentum, and whether Intel’s AI-PC message resonates.
Options market snapshot: traders lean cautious into the holiday session
While Intel’s share price barely moved, options positioning was more telling.
A market note published Tuesday described moderate bearishness in Intel options flow:
- About 58,000 contracts traded (described as “relatively light”)
- Put/call ratio ~0.37 (calls outnumbering puts vs. a “typical” ~0.47)
- Implied volatility (IV30) near 47.91, up about 2 points
- The IV level implied an expected daily move of about $1.09
- Put-call skew steepened, suggesting increased demand for downside protection [7]
A separate options recap echoed the same cautionary read-through (higher implied volatility and more downside-protection interest). [8]
How to interpret this heading into Wednesday:
- The low put/call ratio can look “bullish” at first glance (more calls), but skew steepening often reflects investors paying up for protection—especially in thin holiday liquidity.
- The market-implied move (~$1.09) is a reminder that even a “quiet” stock can swing meaningfully on a low-volume session.
Analyst forecasts and price targets: “Hold” consensus, but dispersion is still wide
Tuesday’s coverage also underscored that Wall Street is still far from unanimous on Intel—even after a dramatic 2025 move.
The latest consensus framing highlighted today
One widely circulated summary described Intel with a Hold consensus, with the rating mix skewing heavily to Holds and a smaller number of Buys and Sells. It pegged an average price target around $38.09, implying modest upside from Tuesday’s levels. [9]
Other widely followed aggregators show just how wide the distribution remains:
- One dataset showed an average target around $34.84 (slightly below today’s price) with a high target of $52 and low of $20. [10]
- Another summary put the average around $38.48 with high $52 / low $24 and a median around $40. [11]
What the “wide range” really means for INTC stock
This dispersion is important because it reflects two very different mental models:
- The “execution works” model: Intel ramps 18A, keeps improving margins, wins meaningful foundry customers, and stabilizes share in core CPU markets.
- The “execution takes longer” model: Foundry losses and capital intensity persist, competitive pressure stays high, and any margin recovery is slow or uneven.
One forward-looking growth snapshot published today (via a Nasdaq/Zacks analysis) expects earnings growth in 2026 with only modest revenue growth, a combination that implies cost discipline and operating leverage doing much of the heavy lifting if the forecast plays out. [12]
What to know before the market opens tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025)
Wednesday is not a “normal” trading day—and that matters for how you read Intel’s tape.
1) It’s a shortened session: the market closes early
The NYSE and Nasdaq close early at 1:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 24 and remain closed on Dec. 25, reopening Friday, Dec. 26 (bond markets close early too). [13]
Why it matters for Intel stock:
- Lower participation can amplify moves on relatively small orders.
- Price discovery can be noisier, particularly in high-beta tech names.
2) The key U.S. data point on Wednesday morning: jobless claims
The U.S. calendar shows initial jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 24. [14]
Rates, yields, and the dollar can still move on a print like this—even on a holiday week—and semiconductors often react to shifts in the “soft landing vs. slowdown” narrative.
3) Sentiment is already sensitive after today’s consumer-confidence drop
On Tuesday, reports showed U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated in December, reflecting rising concern about jobs and income. [15]
While consumer confidence isn’t an Intel-specific driver, it can influence the broader tape—especially when the market is thin and investors are quick to de-risk.
Levels and signals to watch in INTC before Wednesday’s open
Without over-reading holiday price action, here are practical markers traders often monitor:
- Near-term support: Tuesday’s intraday low area around $36.0
- Near-term resistance: the upper end of Tuesday’s range near $36.8
- The “regain the trend” zone: the $39–$40 region from earlier in December, which has acted like a recent ceiling after the pullback [16]
- Options-implied move: roughly $1.09 for a typical day, based on Tuesday’s options pricing snapshot [17]
Bottom line: Intel ends Dec. 23 steady, but the narrative is still active
Intel stock may have finished Tuesday with little drama on the quote screen, but the information flow wasn’t quiet:
- Manufacturing scale and tooling at Fab 52 are back at the center of the “Intel Foundry credibility” debate. [18]
- Options traders are signaling caution and downside hedging into a holiday-thinned session. [19]
- Analysts remain split enough that targets range widely—meaning the stock is still trading as an “execution story,” not a settled consensus compounder. [20]
- Wednesday’s session is shortened, with jobless claims as the key scheduled macro print before the early close. [21]
If you want to tailor this into a sharper “tomorrow morning briefing” for a specific audience (day traders vs. long-term investors), tell me which angle you’re publishing for—and I’ll tighten the lead, the keyword focus, and the callouts accordingly.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.
References
1. www.investing.com, 2. www.tomshardware.com, 3. www.tomshardware.com, 4. www.intc.com, 5. www.tomshardware.com, 6. www.tipranks.com, 7. www.tipranks.com, 8. www.gurufocus.com, 9. www.tipranks.com, 10. www.marketbeat.com, 11. www.marketwatch.com, 12. www.nasdaq.com, 13. www.marketwatch.com, 14. www.marketwatch.com, 15. www.reuters.com, 16. www.investing.com, 17. www.tipranks.com, 18. www.tomshardware.com, 19. www.tipranks.com, 20. www.marketbeat.com, 21. www.marketwatch.com
