New York, January 17, 2026, 09:44 EST — Market closed.
- Nvidia shares ended Friday 0.44% lower, closing at $186.23.
- A report revealed that Chinese customs have halted imports of Nvidia’s freshly approved H200 AI chips, causing suppliers to suspend production.
- U.S. markets reopen Tuesday, January 20. Nvidia will report earnings on February 25.
Nvidia shares slipped 0.44% to close at $186.23 on Friday following reports that Chinese customs blocked shipments of the company’s H200 AI processors. This move reportedly forced parts suppliers to halt production.
The flare-up is significant since Washington recently opened a limited channel for H200 sales to China, intending to let approved commercial deals move forward under strict conditions. If Beijing looks to tighten controls at the border again, it throws uncertainty over a market crucial to near-term demand for data-center chips.
China is drafting rules to control how many advanced AI chips local firms can buy from abroad, Nikkei Asia reported, possibly permitting limited sales instead of an outright ban. Reuters had earlier reported that customs officials were told the H200 chips aren’t allowed into the country, and domestic tech companies were cautioned against purchasing them unless absolutely needed, according to sources.
The broader chip sector has held steady. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, a major Nvidia supplier, projected 2026 revenue growth near 30% this week and announced capital spending of $52 billion to $56 billion to boost AI chip capacity. “While Nvidia, Broadcom and AMD battle for chip dominance, TSMC ultimately wins as the main producer of their chips,” said Ben Barringer, head of technology research at Quilter Cheviot. Reuters
The U.S. rule approving H200 exports to China requires third-party testing to verify the chips’ AI functions and restricts shipments to China to no more than half the volume sold to U.S. buyers, along with other conditions. Jay Goldberg, an analyst at Seaport Research, called these caps “a Band-Aid” and said enforcement will be extremely difficult. Reuters
A separate filing revealed that Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress offloaded 47,640 Nvidia shares on Jan. 13, pulling in roughly $8.8 million. The sale was executed under a Rule 10b5-1 plan set up in March 2025. These 10b5-1 plans allow insiders to trade shares on a preset timetable, avoiding the need to make decisions in real-time.
The risk is the standoff could harden further. This week, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation slapping a 25% tariff on certain AI chips, including Nvidia’s H200 and AMD’s MI325X. The White House clarified the tariffs are narrowly targeted and won’t affect chips imported for U.S. data centers, startups, and select other uses.
Traders have another reason to stay cautious. U.S. stocks closed almost unchanged on Friday, with chip stocks edging higher, just before the long weekend. U.S. markets will be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Nvidia’s next major milestone comes February 25, when it’s set to release quarterly earnings. When the market reopens Tuesday, January 20, investors will zero in on any updates about restarting H200 shipments to China — or if the official rules remain stuck before crossing the border.
