NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 12:41 ET — Regular session
- QUALCOMM shares rose about 1.3% in midday trading as semiconductor stocks outperformed.
- Chip ETFs climbed more than 3% as investors leaned back into the sector to start 2026.
- Traders are watching CES next week and Qualcomm’s Feb. 4 earnings call for demand and guidance signals.
Shares of QUALCOMM Incorporated rose 1.3% to $173.26 on Friday, extending an early-year rebound for chip stocks. The stock traded between $172.21 and $174.63, with about 2.1 million shares changing hands by midday.
The move matters because Qualcomm sits at the center of smartphone and connected-device supply chains, and its shares often trade with broader sentiment toward semiconductors. Investors are resetting positions at the start of the year after a choppy finish to 2025.
It also lands days before CES in Las Vegas, a showcase where chipmakers and device brands often set expectations for new products and demand. Qualcomm’s next earnings update is due in early February, giving the market another near-term checkpoint on handset trends and margins.
Semiconductor funds outperformed broader tech on Friday. The iShares Semiconductor ETF was up 3.6% and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF added 3.1%, while the Nasdaq 100-tracking Invesco QQQ was down about 0.3% and the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund was little changed.
Big tech also helped set the tone, with Nvidia up 2.4% and Broadcom up 3.1% in a broader rebound in risk appetite. “The next Fed Chair is probably going to be much more dovish than Jerome Powell,” said Dennis Dick, chief market strategist at Stock Trader Network, as he pointed to the potential for lower rates later in 2026; investors were also looking ahead to next week’s U.S. labor market data. 1
“Dovish” is Wall Street shorthand for policymakers who are more willing to cut interest rates, which can lift growth stocks by raising the value investors assign to future earnings.
Qualcomm, best known for Snapdragon processors and modem chips, also collects licensing revenue from wireless patents. That mix makes the stock sensitive both to consumer electronics demand and to broader swings in market risk appetite.
At CES 2026, Qualcomm is listed as an exhibitor with booth locations that include LVCC West Hall — 5001, and it is slated to host a sponsored session titled “Scaling Physical AI: From Smart Roads to Everywhere.”
The next major company catalyst is its fiscal first-quarter earnings conference call on Feb. 4 at 4:45 p.m. ET, according to Qualcomm’s investor relations calendar. Traders will be listening for updates on handset chip demand, licensing trends and operating margins. 2
For Qualcomm investors, the near-term focus stays on whether device makers are ordering higher-end chips fast enough to offset slower growth in the broader smartphone market. Any shift in rate expectations will also keep driving day-to-day swings in the sector.
Qualcomm’s smaller gain versus the semiconductor ETFs suggests investors are still distinguishing between names tied most directly to AI infrastructure spending and those more exposed to handsets and consumer upgrades.
With CES headlines approaching and February results on deck, traders will likely keep Qualcomm trading in lockstep with chip-sector sentiment, while using next week’s macro data as the test for rate-cut expectations.
