New York, Jan 10, 2026, 06:24 EST — Market closed
- KLA shares closed up 5.7% on Friday, recovering from a two-day slide
- Chip stocks hit fresh records after a softer U.S. jobs report revived rate-cut bets
- Focus shifts to U.S. inflation data next week and KLA’s Jan. 29 results
KLA Corp shares closed up 5.7% at $1,400 on Friday, leaving the chip equipment maker within sight of its early-week high.
The bounce came as chip stocks surged broadly, pushing the PHLX semiconductor index — a widely watched gauge of chipmakers — up 2.7% to a record high, after a weaker U.S. jobs report kept expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts intact. “Investors are getting granular and picking the winners and losers,” said Zachary Hill, head of portfolio management at Horizon Investments. Reuters
The next macro check comes fast. The U.S. consumer price index for December is due on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 8:30 a.m. ET, a print that can quickly reset rate expectations and, by extension, the appetite for richly valued tech shares.
Traders are also looking ahead to the Fed’s Jan. 27-28 meeting, a key waypoint after Friday’s rally and as fourth-quarter earnings season ramps up.
For KLA, the nearer marker is Jan. 29. The company said it will publish fiscal second-quarter results after the market close that day and host a webcast at 2 p.m. PT.
On the Street, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst C.J. Muse maintained an “overweight” rating — a call to outperform — on Jan. 8 and lifted his price target to $1,750, according to Benzinga data. Benzinga
Not everyone has been eager to pay up for anything tied to artificial intelligence. “It’s become a ‘show me’ sector,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth, after a tech-heavy selloff on Thursday. Reuters
KLA has been volatile even inside the week. Shares fell 2.6% on Thursday to $1,324.60 and were then about 6% below their 52-week high of $1,406.97 set on Jan. 6, MarketWatch data showed.
Still, the setup has risks. A hotter-than-expected inflation print, a jump in bond yields, or fresh signs that chipmakers are trimming capital spending could sour the mood quickly for equipment names that have run hard.
What investors watch next is Tuesday’s CPI report, then the Fed decision on Jan. 28, and finally KLA’s results on Jan. 29 after the close.
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