NEW YORK, December 30, 2025, 16:28 ET — After-hours
- AMD edged lower in after-hours trading, tracking a subdued semiconductor sector.
- U.S. stocks finished slightly lower in choppy, holiday-thin trade after Fed minutes.
- Traders are watching rate-cut expectations, labor data and early-2026 positioning.
Advanced Micro Devices shares nudged lower in after-hours trading on Tuesday, keeping the chipmaker close to its regular-session range as investors digested fresh Federal Reserve signals and year-end positioning.
The timing matters because liquidity is thin in the final days of the year, which can magnify moves in high-volatility technology stocks. Semiconductors often swing with shifts in rate expectations, since much of their value depends on future earnings.
U.S. stocks closed little changed, with the S&P 500 down 0.14% and the Nasdaq off 0.23%, as gains in communication services were offset by declines in technology and financials. Minutes from the Fed’s December meeting showed a nuanced debate before policymakers agreed to cut interest rates, and investors are now expecting the central bank to hold steady at its next meeting. Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, called the shift “a healthy rebalancing of allocations.” Reuters
As of 4:28 p.m. ET, AMD was down about 0.1% at $215.29 in after-hours trading, when shares change hands after the 4 p.m. close and volumes are typically lighter. The stock traded between $214.35 and $216.80 during the regular session; Nvidia was down 0.3% and the iShares Semiconductor ETF slipped 0.1%.
The after-hours drift followed Monday’s pullback in tech and AI-linked names, when heavyweight stocks retreated from last week’s gains that pushed the S&P 500 to record highs. Reuters reported that investors are also monitoring weekly jobless claims in an otherwise data-light holiday week.
Policy risk remains a live variable for the chip complex. China is requiring chipmakers to use at least 50% domestically made equipment when adding new capacity, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, part of Beijing’s drive to build a self-sufficient semiconductor supply chain.
For AMD, the backdrop underscores how quickly geopolitics and trade rules can shift the outlook for data-center chips, including AI accelerators and server processors that sit at the center of the broader chip cycle.
The company’s last quarterly update left investors focused on execution against its near-term targets. AMD forecast fourth-quarter revenue of about $9.6 billion, plus or minus $300 million, and said that outlook did not include any revenue from Instinct MI308 shipments to China.
On the calendar, AMD has not announced when it will report its next earnings release; Nasdaq’s earnings page lists the upcoming report date as to be announced.
With holiday trading volumes still light, traders said the next directional push for chip stocks will likely come from macro read-throughs on rates and any signal that big investors are adding back to technology risk.
For now, AMD’s after-hours move leaves the stock near Tuesday’s regular-session range, with the broader tone in chips hinging on rate expectations and the durability of the late-year rotation.
