NEW YORK, December 31, 2025, 5:02 PM ET — After-hours
- Intel shares fell about 1% in Wednesday’s regular session and were little changed in after-hours trading.
- Investors continue to weigh Nvidia’s newly disclosed $5 billion equity purchase in Intel via a private placement.
- Focus turns to early-January macro data and Intel’s next quarterly update as 2026 trading begins.
Intel Corp (INTC) shares fell about 1.0% in Wednesday’s regular session to $36.90 and were little changed in after-hours trading. The stock ranged from $36.84 to $38.01 on the day, with volume around 51 million shares.
The move tracked a tech-led dip that pulled the S&P 500 down 0.73% and the Nasdaq off 0.76% in holiday-thin trading, Reuters reported. “It’s perfectly fine in any bull market to have moments of cost,” said Giuseppe Sette, co-founder and president of Reflexivity. 1
For Intel, the year-end pullback matters because the stock has become tightly linked to sentiment on big, capital-heavy turnarounds in semiconductors. Investors have been weighing how quickly Intel can stabilize finances while spending to expand manufacturing capacity.
Nvidia has purchased Intel shares worth $5 billion, Intel said in a filing on Monday, completing a transaction announced in September. Nvidia agreed to pay $23.28 per share for more than 214.7 million Intel shares in a private placement — a sale directly to an investor rather than in a public offering — after U.S. antitrust agencies cleared the investment earlier in December, Reuters reported. 2
At Wednesday’s close, Intel traded about 58% above Nvidia’s $23.28 entry price. On that basis, Nvidia’s stake would be worth roughly $7.9 billion, keeping the focus on whether Intel can translate new capital into operational progress.
Macro data also stayed on traders’ screens. U.S. weekly jobless claims fell to 199,000 for the week ended Dec. 27, below economists’ forecast of 220,000, a report on Wednesday showed. 3
Rate expectations matter for Intel because chip stocks often move with broader tech valuations, which can be sensitive to changes in borrowing costs. A lower-rate outlook typically supports growth multiples, while higher-for-longer rates can compress them.
Competitive pressure remains a backdrop. Intel faces Advanced Micro Devices in PC and server processors, while Nvidia dominates the market for AI accelerators that power many data-center builds.
Investors will be watching for any follow-up disclosures on how the Nvidia stake translates into deeper commercial or technology collaboration between the long-time rivals. They will also look for signals on whether Intel can sustain momentum as it invests in factories and advanced manufacturing capabilities.
The next major macro waypoint is the U.S. December employment report, scheduled for Jan. 9, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 4
Company-specific attention is on Intel’s next earnings update, when executives are likely to face questions on cash flow and spending plans tied to its manufacturing push. Intel is expected to report results on Jan. 29, according to Nasdaq’s earnings calendar. 5
Technically, traders will also watch whether the stock holds above Wednesday’s intraday low near $36.84 as liquidity returns after the holiday week. A slip below that area would put the $35 level in focus early in 2026.
For now, Intel heads into the new year with a fresh $5 billion infusion from Nvidia and a market still dominated by AI-linked winners. The first sessions of 2026 will test whether Wednesday’s decline was year-end positioning or the start of a broader rotation away from big tech.
