NEW YORK, March 1, 2026, 12:18 PM EST — The market is closed.
- Intel finished Friday at $45.61, ticking up 0.33%.
- ASML pointed to a key milestone in next-generation EUV chipmaking equipment—a development that could eventually play in Intel’s favor.
- Intel’s CFO David Zinsner is set to speak March 4, while attention shifts to the U.S. jobs report due March 6.
Intel Corp (INTC) finished Friday’s session at $45.61, gaining 0.33%, after moving in a range from $44.40 to $46.56. Roughly 79 million shares changed hands this week, sending the stock up about 3.4% over the last five sessions.
Chip shares in the U.S. are caught in the crosshairs as markets come back online Monday: a swirl of late-month risk aversion is running up against a constant stream of AI investment news, plus the latest on demand for the sector’s hardware.
It’s a big deal for Intel: the company is still hinging its pitch on actually delivering — filling data center orders, keeping manufacturing targets on track, and reassuring investors that the spending will pay off. Lately, though, investors haven’t been so willing to wait for results.
Wall Street closed out February on a downbeat note Friday, with tech and financial shares leading a broad retreat. Fresh anxiety over AI’s impact, renewed tariff talk, and global tensions all dragged sentiment lower. “To wrap up the month of February, we were reminded there are still some cracks out there,” said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group. He also flagged the surprisingly hot Producer Price Index—an unwelcome sign for those betting on imminent Fed rate cuts. Reuters
ASML put out word that its next-gen “High-NA” EUV lithography machines—those are the tools that etch ultra-fine circuits onto silicon wafers—have hit the milestone for high-volume production. CTO Marco Pieters called this “a critical point” as the equipment has already run through 500,000 wafers. Full integration into chip factories, though, could still take two to three years. Each system comes with a hefty price tag of around $400 million. Reuters
Still, Intel’s immediate risks remain. Just last month, the company flagged difficulties keeping up with demand for server chips built for AI, and its outlook for first-quarter revenue and profit came in shy of analyst expectations. Shares slid 13% in after-hours trading following the news.
Even with company headlines swirling, it’s likely to be the macro data that shapes Monday’s mood. The U.S. Labor Department drops its February jobs report this Friday, March 6, while the next big Fed meeting lands March 17-18.
There’s an upcoming milestone just for Intel. Chief Financial Officer David Zinsner is slated for a fireside chat at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, scheduled for March 4 at 8:30 a.m. PT.
ASML’s High-NA update isn’t about flipping an earnings switch. For traders, it’s a matter of tracking who’s first to shrink process nodes, and at what price.
Intel shares face their first challenge at the open on Monday, following a volatile February for tech stocks. The next clear catalyst for Intel lands Wednesday, March 4, as Zinsner is set to speak — and investors will be watching closely for shifts in his tone on demand, supply, or spending.
