AMD stock jumps 4% to start 2026 as chip rally returns — CES keynote now the next test

AMD stock jumps 4% to start 2026 as chip rally returns — CES keynote now the next test

New York, January 3, 2026, 10:01 ET — Market closed

  • AMD closed higher in the first U.S. session of 2026 as chip stocks led Wall Street’s rebound.
  • Investors’ next near-term catalyst is CEO Lisa Su’s CES keynote in Las Vegas on Monday night.
  • Next week’s U.S. jobs report is a key macro checkpoint for rate-sensitive tech shares.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.O) shares ended Friday, Jan. 2 up 4.35% at $223.47, tracking a broad rally in semiconductor stocks on the first trading day of 2026. The chipmaker traded between $218.90 and $227.15, with about 36.45 million shares changing hands, and remained about 16% below its 52-week high of $267.08.

Chip stocks powered a rebound that snapped a four-day losing streak for U.S. equities, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index — a benchmark for major chipmakers — up 4%, Reuters reported. Joe Mazzola, head of trading and derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab, said the market is seeing a “buy the dip, sell the rip” mindset, a strategy of buying pullbacks and selling into rallies. Reuters

The next focal point is CES in Las Vegas, where AMD said CEO Lisa Su will deliver the official CES 2026 opening keynote on Monday, Jan. 5 at 9:30 p.m. ET. AMD’s event page teased updates on its AI vision “from cloud to enterprise, edge and devices.” AMD

Peers also advanced in Friday’s session: Nvidia closed up about 1.2% and Intel rose about 6.7%, according to market data.

AMD sells processors used in personal computers and servers, and a growing lineup of graphics chips used as “accelerators” — hardware designed to speed up AI workloads. Nvidia dominates the AI accelerator market, while Intel remains AMD’s main rival in x86 central processing units, or CPUs.

A key question heading into CES is whether AMD’s updates strengthen the case for “AI PCs” — laptops built with chips that can run some AI features on the device rather than sending every task to the cloud. Investors have been watching for proof that those features translate into higher-priced chips and steadier PC demand.

Traders will also listen for any roadmap and customer signals that could shape expectations for AMD’s data-center momentum, where Wall Street has been trying to gauge how quickly the company can translate AI demand into revenue and margins.

Rate expectations remain a swing factor. Higher yields tend to pressure long-duration growth stocks, and chipmakers have often traded as a proxy for that risk appetite after last year’s strong run.

Before the next session on Monday, attention will be on whether the chip rally extends beyond a one-day burst and how investors position ahead of Su’s late-evening CES keynote.

Macro data sits close behind. Reuters’ Take Five column flagged the next installment of key U.S. jobs data on Jan. 9, with a Reuters poll forecasting 55,000 jobs added in December.

AMD’s investor relations calendar currently lists no upcoming events, leaving the next earnings date unconfirmed. Wall Street Horizon shows an unconfirmed earnings date of Feb. 3, after market, based on historical reporting patterns. Technically, traders will watch whether the stock can hold above Friday’s low near $219 and retest the $227 area set by the session high.

Khadija Saeed

Khadija Saeed is a financial markets reporter at TS2.tech. Her coverage ranges from stocks and technology to emerging industries and developments across global markets. She studied economics and finance at the London School of Economics and worked in market research before becoming a financial journalist. Follow Khadija Saeed on Google News.

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