NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 03:06 ET — Market closed.
- Intel shares last traded at $36.20, up 0.1%, ahead of Monday’s U.S. session.
- Investors are heading into the final U.S. trading days of 2025 with Fed minutes due Tuesday and rate-cut expectations in focus.
- A Reuters poll pointed to firmer December South Korea exports led by semiconductors, a read-through for chip demand tied to AI.
Intel shares were last up 0.1% at $36.20, with U.S. markets closed ahead of the opening bell.
The chipmaker is heading into the year’s final stretch with Wall Street near record levels and investors watching whether the rally holds in thin holiday trading.
The immediate focus is the Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes, due on Tuesday, which investors use to gauge how policymakers see inflation and growth.
The Fed lowered its benchmark rate by 75 basis points — 0.75 percentage point — over its last three meetings of 2025 to 3.50%-3.75%, Reuters reported.
Intel traded between $35.87 and $36.46 in the last session, with about 28.8 million shares changing hands.
Macro signals have mattered more than usual for chip stocks after technology shares wobbled earlier this month on worries tied to the pace of spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure, Reuters said.
Overnight, a Reuters poll showed South Korean exports were projected to rise 9.0% in December from a year earlier, with economists pointing to strong semiconductor demand linked to AI technologies.
In the first 20 days of December, exports rose 6.8%, led by a 41.8% jump in semiconductors, the Reuters report said.
The broader backdrop for U.S. stocks remains upbeat. Reuters reported the S&P 500 was about 1% from reaching 7,000 for the first time and was on track for its eighth straight month of gains.
“Momentum is certainly on the side of the bulls,” said Paul Nolte, senior wealth adviser and market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management. Reuters
For Intel, that rate-driven risk appetite can still steer the stock day to day, even as investors debate the company’s longer-term execution in PCs, data centers and contract manufacturing.
Intel competes with AMD in PC and server processors and is trying to build out its foundry business as Taiwan’s TSMC dominates contract chipmaking, while Nvidia leads the market for AI accelerators.
On the company calendar, investors will be looking toward Intel’s next results for updates on demand and margins. Intel last reported quarterly results in October and forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $12.8 billion to $13.8 billion.
Before the next session, investors will watch Tuesday’s Fed minutes and any year-end portfolio shifts that can amplify moves when trading volumes are light, Reuters said.
Before the next session, traders will also monitor global chip-demand indicators, including South Korea’s official December trade data due on Thursday, Jan. 1, following Monday’s Reuters poll.
Traders will likely use Friday’s range as near-term reference points, with a move above $36.46 or below $35.87 setting the next directional cue.
