New York, Jan 18, 2026, 16:53 EST — The market has closed.
- The NYSE holiday calendar confirms U.S. stock markets will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (New York Stock Exchange)
- KLA said it will report fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings on Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. PT, with results coming out after the market close. (KLA Corporation)
KLA Corp (KLAC) shares climbed 1.48% on Friday, finishing at $1,567.82. Trading volume hit roughly 1.53 million shares, per market data. (KLA Corporation)
Timing is key. Monday’s U.S. market holiday cuts the week short, leaving traders with fewer sessions to act. KLA sits close to recent highs, and a company update is still on the horizon.
Chip-equipment stocks are now focused squarely on upcoming earnings reports rather than recent price moves. Investors have been relying heavily on earnings and guidance to set expectations, particularly for companies linked to the latest chipmaking “nodes”—the cutting-edge manufacturing tech.
U.S. stocks ended Friday almost unchanged, with the Philadelphia semiconductor index (.SOX)—a key group of chip stocks—climbing 1.2%, Reuters reported. Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial, noted, “One of the other reasons markets have been flat-lining is we’re at the start of the earnings season.” (Reuters)
Equipment stocks edged up in the latest session. Applied Materials climbed roughly 2.5%, Lam Research was up about 2.5%, and ASML gained close to 2.1%, according to recent closing figures.
KLA sells inspection and metrology gear designed to detect defects and measure features during chip manufacturing. Investors keep an eye on the company for hints about wafer-fab equipment spending — the tools and systems behind chip production — and to gauge how aggressively customers are advancing leading-edge manufacturing.
Now, all eyes turn to the upcoming guidance update to see if it justifies the recent rally. Traders want clues on whether demand in advanced logic and packaging is stabilizing, along with any shifts in customer spending plans.
Yet the setup works both ways. Any hint of caution, or signs that customers are delaying deliveries, could weigh on a stock that’s already run hard and is priced for continued gains.
Tuesday’s reopening after the MLK Day holiday brings the first read. The real focus, however, is on KLA’s earnings report and call scheduled for Jan. 29.
