NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 14:26 ET — Market closed.
- Qualcomm shares fell 1.5% in the last U.S. session of 2025 as semiconductor stocks weakened.
- The broader market also ended lower in thin, holiday-shortened trading.
- Focus now shifts to early-January U.S. data and Qualcomm’s Feb. 4 earnings call.
QUALCOMM Incorporated shares closed lower in the year’s final U.S. trading session, tracking a pullback in semiconductor names ahead of the New Year holiday.
The timing matters. Thin year-end liquidity can exaggerate moves, and the first sessions of January often bring fresh positioning as money managers reset after tax and calendar effects.
For Qualcomm, that matters because the stock often trades as a read-through on both handset demand and the broader chip cycle, which can turn quickly when macro expectations shift.
U.S. stocks ended Wednesday lower, with the S&P 500 down 0.74% and the Nasdaq off 0.76% in a holiday-shortened week marked by light volumes, Reuters reported. “I do not expect that the last few days will have so much bearing on the performance of the next year,” said Giuseppe Sette, co-founder and president of Reflexivity, pointing to profit-taking when liquidity is low, the report said. Reuters
Qualcomm finished at $171.05, down 1.5%, and remained about 17% below its 52-week high set in late October, according to MarketWatch data. The stock lagged key semiconductor peers on the day, and volume was about 4.5 million shares, well below its 50-day average of 10.5 million.
The stock traded between $170.88 and $173.94 during Wednesday’s session, while semiconductor ETFs also finished lower, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) down about 1.2% and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) off about 0.9%.
Chip and data-storage shares were under pressure across the session, leaving Qualcomm among the decliners, Nasdaq.com said.
With no U.S. trading on New Year’s Day, investors are left to parse whether the late-December softness in chips was routine book-squaring or the start of a more defensive tone.
Before the next session on Friday, traders will also mark a busy early-January calendar that can move yields and growth stocks, including the job openings report (JOLTS) on Jan. 7 and the U.S. employment report on Jan. 9, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. CPI inflation for December is scheduled for Jan. 13.
For Qualcomm, the next set piece is its fiscal first-quarter earnings conference call on Feb. 4 at 1:45 p.m. PT, the company’s investor events page shows.
Investors will be listening for management’s read on demand in premium smartphones and the pace of adoption for PC chips, alongside any updates on licensing — the royalty business tied to the company’s wireless patent portfolio.
From a chart perspective, traders have been watching the stock’s ability to hold the $170 area after Wednesday’s low, with the October peak still a longer-term marker overhead.
If chip sentiment stabilizes as markets reopen, Qualcomm is likely to move with the group. If rates or trade headlines turn risk-off, it has tended to be one of the higher-beta names that reacts fast.
