New York, January 24, 2026, 18:33 EST — The market has closed.
Micron Technology, Inc. shares closed Friday up 0.5% at $399.65, hovering just below $400. Traders are entering the week eyeing tight memory supply and climbing component costs. The stock dipped a bit in after-hours trading. (Yahoo Finance)
The short-term picture is clear: memory shortages in data centers and AI hardware are driving prices up. That’s a boost for suppliers like Micron, but a tougher market for device manufacturers. Intel’s recent caution about rising memory costs has brought this pressure back into focus this week. (Investopedia)
That tension is key as U.S. markets kick back into gear Monday, with a surge in memory stocks pushing investors to weigh “price” against “demand.” Micron, which sells DRAM—the working memory in servers and PCs—and NAND for storage drives, faces sharp price swings that can quickly impact profits.
Taiwan’s Compal, a leading contract manufacturer of notebooks and PCs, warned that soaring memory prices will persist through 2027. CEO Anthony Peter Bonadero described it as “a true super cycle,” noting memory costs could climb to 35% to 40% of a PC’s material expenses—well above the typical 15% to 18%. (Reuters)
Research firms IDC and Counterpoint predict global smartphone sales will drop by at least 2% in 2026. Meanwhile, IDC expects the PC market to shrink by at least 4.9% this year. Intel CFO David Zinsner noted they’re keeping a close eye on rising memory prices. Emarketer analyst Jacob Bourne added the pinch “is certainly going to show up as higher prices for consumers.” (Reuters)
Micron’s stock swung between $390.74 and $412.43 on Friday, with roughly 35.4 million shares traded, per Investing.com data. Short-term traders will likely keep an eye on this range if chip stocks open sharply higher or lower early next week. (Investing)
A separate filing revealed that Micron executive vice president Manish Bhatia submitted a Form 144, signaling plans to sell 26,623 shares of Micron stock valued at roughly $10.41 million. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is named as the broker, with the sale expected around Jan. 22. (Micron Technology)
Retail positioning plays a role here. Defiance ETFs teamed up with Futurum Equities to launch a new “retail favorites” fund, which counts Micron among its initial picks. Defiance’s chief investment officer, Sylvia Jablonski, said the portfolio targets companies “we think will be around for the next decade or two decades.” (Reuters)
Friday saw little movement across the broader market: the Nasdaq inched up 0.3%, while the Dow slid 0.6%, per an AP market wrap. Micron bucked the trend, outperforming the major indexes, though chip stocks have shown volatility amid earnings and guidance shifts. (AP News)
But there’s a catch to the upside. If rising memory prices prompt laptop and phone buyers to hold off, or if major buyers press suppliers hard during contract negotiations, the price gains could vanish. The memory sector has a history of sudden reversals once supply catches up.
Investors are gearing up for Apple’s earnings call on Jan. 29, where they’ll focus on updates about component costs and pricing power. Dell’s earnings follow on Feb. 26, providing another critical read on demand and PC pricing trends heading into spring. (Apple)
