AMSTERDAM, Feb 8, 2026, 10:48 CET — That’s it for the session. The market is closed.
- ASML’s U.S. shares surged Friday as chip stocks rebounded.
- Fresh signs of big-tech investment sent traders scrambling once more into AI supply-chain stocks.
- On deck: U.S. jobs data, fresh inflation figures, and word on when ASML plans to deliver its next dividend payout.
ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) finished Friday up 4.6% at $1,413 on U.S. exchanges, after reaching as high as $1,415.70 earlier. The stock’s gain lands ahead of a packed run of macro and company news.
Chipmakers caught a sharp bid, with the PHLX semiconductor index up 5.7% following upbeat signals from Amazon and Alphabet. Both tech giants pointed to bigger data center and hardware investments, ramping up their AI infrastructure push. Equipment suppliers and chip stocks posted one of their best sessions in recent memory.
Long-dated tech names can’t shake off the rates story. Mary Daly, head of the San Francisco Fed, called the labour picture “precarious” and didn’t rule out additional cuts. Comments like that can yank bond yields, rattling high-multiple growth shares. Reuters
Chip-equipment stocks surged Friday. Applied Materials climbed 6.1%. Lam Research posted an 8.2% gain, while KLA gained 8.4% by the close.
ASML sits squarely at the top of the supply chain food chain. Its lithography systems — especially those EUV machines used to etch ultra-fine lines onto cutting-edge chips — serve as a barometer for chipmakers’ spending plans. Order flows from ASML often act as a gauge for the industry’s investment appetite.
ASML posted full-year 2025 net sales of €32.7 billion, with net income at €9.6 billion. For the fourth quarter, net bookings hit €13.2 billion, pushing the backlog up to €38.8 billion. CEO Christophe Fouquet said customers feel “more positive” about AI-fueled demand. Looking out to 2026, ASML is projecting net sales somewhere between €34 billion and €39 billion and has unveiled a new share buyback worth as much as €12 billion. ASML
ASML’s next ex-dividend dates are set—€1.60 per ordinary share goes ex-dividend on Euronext Feb. 9, with Nasdaq following Feb. 10. Payment lands Feb. 18 for shareholders.
Still, there’s a wrinkle—corporate spending can turn suddenly. If cloud firms tap the brakes on purchases or chipmakers stall equipment buys, momentum could fade quickly. And if inflation surprises to the upside, rate-cut bets would get yanked back, squeezing sector valuations.
Next up: a couple of major U.S. releases likely to move tech stocks. The Labor Department’s January jobs report drops Wednesday, Feb. 11, and January CPI numbers show up Friday, Feb. 13, both set for 8:30 a.m. ET.
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