New York, Feb 7, 2026, 14:35 EST — The market is closed.
- Cisco ended the week at $84.82, up roughly 3%, shaking off some volatility that’s hit tech stocks.
- Next up for investors: Cisco’s quarterly numbers and outlook.
- Shutdown delays pushed out key U.S. jobs and CPI numbers; both are coming next week, setting up a test for rate bets.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) picked up close to 3% on Friday, wrapping up at $84.82 as buyers eyed next week’s potential drivers. Shares kicked off the session at $83.43, swinging from $82.35 to $84.96. Roughly 23.9 million shares traded hands by the bell.
This shift hits a nerve with tech investors, who’ve grown edgy over the battle lines forming as artificial intelligence shakes up the sector. Software stocks took a dive this week—rekindling worries that a fresh wave of AI tools could disrupt legacy subscription businesses. Still, the giants in tech aren’t pulling back on their AI bets.
Cisco’s results arrive during a busy stretch for U.S. data. Thanks to the federal shutdown delay, January’s jobs numbers won’t drop until Feb. 11, with CPI following on Feb. 13, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. That shifts the focus back onto rate bets—investors banking on mid-year cuts are watching closely.
Cisco managed a 1.48% gain to $82.36 on Thursday, even as the S&P 500 dropped 1.23% and the Dow lost 1.20%, according to MarketWatch data. Shares wrapped up the day sitting roughly 2.23% below the then 52-week high of $84.24.
Wall Street bounced back hard Friday, snapping a losing streak. The Dow closed above 50,000 for the first time ever. S&P 500 and Nasdaq each climbed roughly 2%, recovering ground lost earlier this week on concerns around AI-related costs and rivals muscling in. “The market looks like it was getting a bit overdone to the downside,” said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth. Reuters
Still, action beneath the major indexes has been choppy. “Rotation is the dominant theme this year,” said Angelo Kourkafas, senior global investment strategist at Edward Jones. He points to tech: with lofty expectations, investors haven’t hesitated to lock in gains. Since a late-October peak, tech has dropped around 9%; the S&P 500 software and services index slid 15% in just over a week, per Reuters. Reuters
Cisco faces a straightforward hurdle right now: hit the numbers, deliver on guidance. Zacks Equity Research has analysts looking for EPS at $1.02, revenue at $15.12 billion. Investors are zeroed in on how networking products and services are performing — specifically, whether the spending momentum is sticking.
Cisco plans to report fiscal Q2 results after the bell on Feb. 11, with a conference call scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.
A lot could still derail things here. Options markets are pricing in a roughly 5.5-point swing in either direction on the report, according to Investors.com—a sign of just how quickly earnings expectations can move in this market.
Come Monday, investors face a busy lineup: Cisco’s earnings and outlook, the Feb. 11 jobs numbers, and inflation data dropping Feb. 13. Any of these could upend the current narrative around growth, interest rates, or the definition of “safe tech.”
