NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 04:08 ET — Market closed.
ASML Holding N.V. shares climbed 8.7% in the last U.S. session, ending at $1,163.78 after a bullish analyst reversal helped propel the Dutch chipmaking equipment maker higher.
The move matters for investors because ASML sits at the critical step of making advanced semiconductors: lithography, the process used to print circuit patterns onto silicon wafers. When demand expectations shift for ASML’s tools, it tends to ripple across the broader chip cycle.
Chip stocks led the first trading day of 2026, with the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index up 4%, while the Dow and S&P 500 finished higher and the Nasdaq ended little changed, a Reuters report said. Traders are also looking ahead to next week’s labor market data for fresh signals on interest rates. 1
Aletheia Capital analyst Warren Lau double upgraded ASML to “Buy” from “Sell” and lifted his price target to $1,500 from $750, TipRanks reported, calling it a Street-high target. 2
In a research note cited by Investors.com, Lau pointed to stronger demand for ASML’s extreme ultraviolet systems and described deep ultraviolet orders from China as “resilient.” 3
EUV, short for extreme ultraviolet, refers to lithography machines that use very short-wavelength light to etch the tiniest features needed for cutting-edge chips. DUV uses longer-wavelength light and is generally used for less-advanced manufacturing.
Investing.com reported that Aletheia expects ASML’s Low-NA EUV revenue to grow by roughly one-third in fiscal 2026 and accelerate in fiscal 2027, alongside a step-up in overall sales growth in those years. (“NA,” or numerical aperture, is a measure of how tightly a tool can focus light.) 4
ASML’s jump came with strength across chip-equipment names, with Applied Materials up 4.6%, Lam Research up 8.1% and KLA up 4.9% in the last session.
ASML’s demand outlook is tied to capital spending at the biggest chipmakers, while trade policy remains a recurring overhang, particularly around exports to China. 5
Before the next session, investors will be watching next week’s U.S. employment data for any shift in the rates outlook, which can quickly change the market’s appetite for high-multiple chip stocks, Reuters reported. 6
ASML is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results on Jan. 28, according to the company’s investor calendar, and traders typically focus on new bookings — a measure of incoming orders — and management’s 2026 outlook. 7
