NEW YORK, Jan 9, 2026, 07:49 EST — Premarket
- Intel shares were up roughly 3% in premarket trading after President Donald Trump mentioned a meeting with CEO Lip-Bu Tan
- Shares finished Thursday roughly 3.6% lower, keeping the trading action uneven ahead of key U.S. data
- Investors are eyeing the Jan. 22 results for a clearer read on demand and whether Intel’s manufacturing turnaround is taking hold
Intel shares climbed roughly 3% in premarket trade on Friday after President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post that he had a “great meeting” with the chipmaker’s chief executive, Lip-Bu Tan. The bump came with U.S. index futures hovering near flat before the December jobs report and a Supreme Court ruling on Trump’s tariffs—events traders said could quickly swing risk appetite. 1
Why it matters now: Intel’s stock has tended to move fast on Washington headlines since the U.S. government agreed last year to take a roughly 9.9% stake as part of a funding package tied to expanding U.S. chip capacity. As a result, investors have been weighing political cues right alongside the familiar push and pull of PC and data-center demand. 2
A more telling moment is coming soon. Intel said it will report fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Jan. 22 after the market closes, and hold a conference call at 2 p.m. PT the same day. 3
Intel closed Thursday 3.6% lower at $41.11, and the pullback has the stock feeling especially reactive to any new catalyst ahead of the open. 4
Part of the emphasis now is on delivering results, not just making announcements. Intel has been trying to convince investors its next-generation manufacturing process, known as 18A, is ready for high-volume products and can help it claw back share from rivals; it showcased its “Panther Lake” laptop chip built on that process at CES this week. 5
A major watchpoint is “yield” — the share of usable chips produced from each silicon wafer — since poor yields can trigger delays and drive up costs. Investors are also tracking whether Intel’s foundry push (making chips for other companies) trims losses, and whether PC makers buy enough “AI PC” systems that can run some AI tasks on the device rather than in the cloud. 5
Still, in the short run the tape is mostly macro and policy risk. A surprise in the jobs data or a sudden turn on tariffs can easily overwhelm company-specific headlines for chip stocks, and any quick pop driven by politics can fade just as quickly if earnings guidance doesn’t support it.
On deck: the U.S. employment report lands at 8:30 a.m. ET, and economists are looking for payroll growth of about 60,000 with unemployment edging down to 4.5%. After that, attention shifts to inflation — the Labor Department’s CPI report is slated for Jan. 13 — and then to Intel’s Jan. 22 results. 6
