NEW YORK, Feb 9, 2026, 10:52 EST — Regular session
- Intel dropped roughly 1% during morning hours, lagging behind other major chip stocks.
- Traders face a delayed U.S. jobs report due out Feb. 11, with January CPI following on Feb. 13.
- Intel’s big bets on GPUs and its foundry push have investors sizing up fresh opportunities, though execution risk in the short term remains front and center.
Intel slipped 1.1% to $50.04 on Monday, erasing some of last week’s gains as investors dialed back risk before a packed U.S. data slate.
The chipmaker slipped behind Nvidia, up roughly 3% early, with the rest of the AI sector holding steady.
Advanced Micro Devices rose about 3%, standing out next to Intel, a name that’s seen big price swings following its early-year surge.
Investors get their hands on the next big macro reading Wednesday, with the January U.S. Employment Situation report due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. 1
The Consumer Price Index for January lands two days after that, right on schedule—an update that tends to jolt rate-cut wagers and, with them, the prices pinned to high-multiple tech stocks. 2
A short U.S. government shutdown delayed both reports, forcing traders to reset positions with a week packed full of data and earnings releases. 3
Not much fresh Intel news surfaced Monday, though the chipmaker keeps cropping up in AI chatter. CEO Lip-Bu Tan said last week in an interview with Reuters, “I just hired the chief GPU architect,” pointing to a pivotal addition for developing its data-center graphics chips. 4
Intel is still backing AI chip upstart SambaNova Systems, Reuters reports, with fresh funding this time aimed at “inference” chips—hardware that powers AI models post-training. Customers are shopping for Nvidia alternatives. 5
That bigger picture has fueled the stock’s climb lately, though some on Wall Street caution that hype may be getting ahead of results. TD Cowen analysts, in a January note, put it this way: “The rally had been largely driven by ‘the dream’ rather than the near-term reality or fundamentals.” 6
Intel has acknowledged it’s had trouble keeping up with demand for server chips powering AI data centers. In late January, the company’s quarterly forecast landed below what Wall Street was looking for—a clear signal that execution continues to drive the stock. 7
Of course, there’s a risk on the table. Hotter-than-expected jobs or inflation figures could send Treasury yields higher, weighing on chip stocks across the board. Weak prints, on the other hand, might turn the spotlight back to demand and margin concerns—problems Intel hasn’t completely shaken off.
Looking past the data, traders are zeroing in on major chip earnings due later this month—Nvidia reports Feb. 25. Intel’s latest moves on GPUs and any updates on their foundry client wins are also on the radar. 8
