NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 15:29 ET — Regular session
- Palantir shares fall about 5% in afternoon trading as 2026 opens.
- Chip stocks rally while investors trim pricey growth names.
- Traders look to next week’s U.S. jobs data and Palantir’s next quarterly update.
Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) shares fell 5.2% to $168.43 in afternoon trading on Friday, the first session of 2026. The stock ranged from $166.38 to $182.93, with about 49.3 million shares changing hands.
The drop comes after a sharp 2025 run that left the stock sensitive to early-year repositioning. TipRanks said Palantir rose more than 136% in 2025 and noted the shares were hovering near chart levels traders track, including a 50-day moving average around $181.20; TipRanks also showed a “Hold” consensus rating and an average price target of $187.87. 1
The broader tape offered little support for high-multiple technology names, even as chips outperformed. The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index was up 3.5%, and “stocks trade expensive on 18 of 20 measures,” Savita Subramanian, Bank of America’s equity and quant strategist, wrote in a note. 2
Friday’s move was not tied to a fresh Palantir corporate announcement, and market commentary pointed instead to sector shifts at the start of the year. The Motley Fool wrote that Palantir sold off with software stocks as investors rotated into chipmakers and some locked in gains after last year’s surge. 3
A “rotation” is Wall Street shorthand for money moving from one group of stocks to another, often quickly. “Profit-taking” simply means investors sell to bank gains, especially after a strong run.
Tech weakness was not confined to Palantir. The Associated Press reported that losses in Apple and Microsoft weighed on the market early in the new year. 4
Palantir builds and deploys software platforms that companies and governments use to run data-heavy operations, and it has been pushing its Artificial Intelligence Platform, or AIP, to help customers put AI into day-to-day workflows. 5
For momentum traders, the 50-day moving average is a quick gauge of trend: above it suggests buyers still control the tape, below it signals a pullback. With PLTR trading well under that level, traders will watch whether the stock can regain it or whether selling intensifies below Friday’s intraday low.
Macro events may also drive the next leg. Reuters’ “Take Five” preview flagged key U.S. jobs data due on Jan. 9, a release that can shift rate expectations and, in turn, valuations for growth stocks. 6
For Palantir, the next company-specific catalyst is its next quarterly update, when investors will look for evidence that demand for AIP is translating into durable commercial growth and cash generation. Traders will also watch for any change in momentum in government work, where contract timing can swing results from quarter to quarter.
The setup leaves little room for complacency. When markets turn cautious on expensive growth, high-volatility names tend to move more than the indexes in both directions.
