NEW YORK, Jan 28, 2026, 18:33 ET — After-hours
- After-hours trading saw AMD shares climb 0.3%, following a session range between $250.24 and $258.65
- Chip stocks jumped after new signs of AI data-center demand and a China-related development linked to Nvidia’s H200 chips
- Investors are eyeing Big Tech spending signals alongside AMD’s earnings set for Feb. 3
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) shares climbed 0.3% to $252.74 in late after-hours Wednesday. Nvidia (NVDA.O) rose 1.6%, while Intel (INTC.O) surged roughly 11%.
Sentiment is crucial since semiconductors have carried a big chunk of the U.S. stock rally, but the trade has gotten jittery. Buyers are willing to pay a premium for anything linked to AI compute, only to slam stocks at the slightest sign of weakness.
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at 3.5% to 3.75%, with the Nasdaq climbing 0.17% and the S&P 500 finishing nearly flat, Reuters reported. “Whether you were bullish or bearish going into the press conference you walked away feeling about the same,” said Michael James, an equity sales trader at Rosenblatt Securities. Reuters
Earlier, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index — a key gauge for chip stocks — climbed 1.7%, lifted by signs that the AI data-center expansion is extending beyond just a handful of headline players. “Companies across the broader supply chain … are reporting that conditions are improving,” noted Louise Dudley, portfolio manager for global equities at Federated Hermes. Reuters
China added momentum. Beijing gave the green light for ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent to purchase over 400,000 Nvidia H200 AI chips, according to four sources who spoke to Reuters. This move sparked renewed interest in AI hardware.
AMD’s story this quarter has been all about sector momentum — yet its stock still trades as if it’s the AI frontrunner. AI accelerators, the chips powering large language model training and inference, have turned into a key gauge for the duration of the current spending surge.
AMD will release its fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings on Tuesday, Feb. 3, after the market closes. A conference call is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. EST.
Investors are zeroing in on clear clues about data-center demand, supply, and pricing, plus AMD’s outlook for the March quarter. Even brief remarks on customer ordering trends could draw interest.
Expectations are sky-high, which works both for and against the stock. Even a cautious take on guidance or signs of margin pressure could send shares sliding fast, particularly if the wider chip rally loses steam.
Policy risks linger as Washington and Beijing keep tweaking regulations on advanced chips. Traders will be eyeing if chip stocks can maintain their recent gains in the next session. Then, all eyes turn to Feb. 3, when AMD reports earnings and guidance to see if the premium is warranted.
