NEW YORK, Feb 16, 2026, 18:01 EST — Market closed.
- Lam Research shares last closed at $235.53, up 1.8%, with U.S. cash markets shut for the Presidents Day holiday.
- Chipmaking tool stocks have been trading off AI-driven spending signals and a tighter memory market.
- Traders are watching Fed minutes on Feb. 18 and the U.S. GDP report on Feb. 20 for fresh clues on rates and growth.
Lam Research Corp shares will not trade on Monday with U.S. markets closed for the Presidents Day holiday, after the chipmaking toolmaker ended Friday at $235.53, up 1.8%.
The break matters because it compresses the week and leaves investors to work off futures and headlines before cash trading returns Tuesday. Chip-equipment names have been quick to move on any read-through to factory spending and the cost of the AI build-out.
World shares steadied in holiday-thinned trade on Monday, and U.S. stock and bond markets were shut while futures edged higher, Reuters reported. Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid wrote his economists expect U.S. fourth-quarter growth to slow to 2.5%. (Reuters)
For Lam and rivals, the most recent sector jolt came when Applied Materials projected second-quarter sales and profit above estimates, pointing to demand for AI processors and a tightening memory market. Applied CEO Gary Dickerson said the outlook was “fueled by the acceleration of industry investments in AI computing,” and Rothschild & Co. Redburn analyst Timm Schulze-Melander said memory was “a greater growth driver near-term.” (Reuters)
Lam, based in Fremont, California, sells etch and deposition tools that chipmakers use to build both memory chips and “logic” chips, the processors that run servers and phones. When customers lift or cut capital spending, orders for tools can move fast.
The stock’s next move is likely to hinge less on Lam-specific headlines and more on whether investors keep paying up for the AI supply chain. Rates matter here: lower yields tend to lift tech valuations, while a backup can lean on the group.
On the macro calendar, investors get the Federal Reserve’s minutes from its Jan. 27-28 meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 2:00 p.m. ET. (Federal Reserve)
The week’s biggest U.S. growth print follows on Friday, Feb. 20, when the government releases the advance estimate of fourth-quarter GDP at 8:30 a.m. ET. (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
But the setup cuts both ways. A stumble in memory pricing, a pause in fab build-outs, or fresh restrictions around shipping or servicing advanced tools in China could quickly squeeze expectations for equipment demand.
For Lam Research shareholders, Tuesday’s reopening is the first test. After that, the tone may come from Washington — the Fed minutes on Feb. 18 and GDP on Feb. 20 — and whether chip-tool peers keep talking up AI-linked orders.
