New York, February 22, 2026, 11:25 (EST) — Market closed.
- Intel (INTC) last closed at $44.11, down about 1.1% on Friday.
- Traders head into the week watching Nvidia’s Feb. 25 results for the next read on AI demand.
- Intel CFO David Zinsner is due to speak March 4 at Morgan Stanley’s TMT conference.
Intel Corp shares ended Friday down about 1.1% at $44.11, leaving the chipmaker softer into the weekend. The stock traded between $42.88 and $44.90 and logged about 90.7 million shares in volume.
With U.S. markets shut on Sunday, chip traders are turning to Nvidia’s results later this week for the next big read on the AI trade. Reuters’ Morning Bid flagged investor nerves around ballooning AI spending and how concentrated Nvidia’s revenue is among a small group of customers. (Reuters)
Macro is also sitting in the room. The personal consumption expenditures price index — the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge — ran hotter than expected at the end of 2025, and that tends to keep tech valuations sensitive to rates. “This will trigger more concern inside the Fed that inflation needs a closer look again,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote. (Investopedia)
Intel lagged on Friday even as the broader market rose, with the S&P 500 up 0.69% and the Dow adding 0.47%, MarketWatch data showed. Nvidia gained about 1% while Broadcom slipped and AMD fell, market data showed. (Marketwatch)
Even with the pullback, Intel is up about 69% over the last year, trailing a peer-average gain of about 84%, Reuters data showed. (Reuters)
The calendar stays busy this week. Nvidia headlines Wednesday’s earnings slate, while traders also have a run of Fed speakers and Friday’s producer price index — a measure of wholesale inflation — on the radar for any shift in rate expectations. (Investopedia)
Nvidia has scheduled its conference call for Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) and said it expects to post results at about 1:20 p.m. PT. The company said prepared remarks will be followed by a Q&A limited to analysts and institutional investors. (Nvidia)
Intel has its own date on the calendar: CFO David Zinsner is set for a fireside chat on the company’s business and strategy at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 4 at 8:35 a.m. PT, Intel announced. The webcast and replay are slated to be available on Intel’s investor relations site. (Intc)
Chief Executive Lip-Bu Tan has been pitching a broader reset. Earlier this month he told Reuters Intel planned to build graphics processing units, or GPUs — chips used heavily in AI workloads — and said the effort was “tied in with the data center.” He also said “a couple of customers” were engaging with Intel Foundry, the company’s contract manufacturing unit. (Reuters)
But the setup cuts both ways. If Nvidia’s outlook fails to steady investors on AI spending, chip stocks can swing hard, and Intel’s recent slide can gather pace.
For Intel, the next tests come fast: Wednesday’s Nvidia print can reset the tone for semiconductors, and Zinsner’s March 4 appearance is one of the next chances for management to spell out demand, capital spending and timing. Macro traders will also keep an eye on Friday’s PPI report for any fresh clue on inflation pressure before the next rate debate heats up.
