Intel stock sinks 3% in premarket as oil surge rattles chip shares — what investors watch next

March 2, 2026
Intel stock sinks 3% in premarket as oil surge rattles chip shares — what investors watch next

New York, March 2, 2026, 06:59 EST — Premarket

  • Intel shares dropped roughly 3% in premarket trade, mirroring the wider risk-off move in U.S. futures.
  • Shares of AMD and TSM slipped early, with Nvidia ticking down just slightly.
  • Intel pops up on radars with its March 4 slot at Morgan Stanley’s conference, while traders also have their sights set on Friday’s U.S. jobs report.

Shares of Intel Corp (INTC.O) dropped 3% before the bell on Monday, last quoted near $44.24. Investors pulled back from riskier names ahead of the U.S. market open. 1

U.S. stock index futures slid over 1% early, tracking a spike in oil prices after the weekend’s Middle East escalation. That set the stage for the market’s initial tumble. “With Trump saying the campaign could run for four weeks, there is plenty of scope for more downside should the conflict widen,” IG chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp said. 2

Semis tracked the overall market this day. Advanced Micro Devices slipped roughly 2.8% before the bell. U.S.-listed Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing shares dropped 2.1%. Nvidia, meanwhile, edged down 0.7%. 3

Intel is slated to present at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Wednesday, marking its next notable company event. The session is listed on Intel’s investor calendar for March 4, 8:30 a.m. Pacific time. 4

Chipmakers and supply chain names stayed in the spotlight thanks to new sector headlines. ASML, the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography gear for fabricating the smallest wafer patterns, is already eyeing the next phase. The Dutch firm is pushing into “advanced packaging,” a method tying together several chips to meet AI computing demands, with Intel and TSMC among the main adopters of its EUV tech. “We look, not just for the next five years, we look at the next 10, maybe 15 years,” said ASML Chief Technology Officer Marco Pieters in comments to Reuters. 5

The economic calendar packs some punch this week. Manufacturing activity numbers land later Monday, while Friday brings the February U.S. Employment Situation report at 8:30 a.m. ET. These releases have a history of jolting Treasury yields—rippling straight through to valuations for tech and chip heavyweights. 6

Premarket swings often get amplified, with less liquidity and wider bid-ask spreads in play before regular trading kicks off. Early drops have a habit of either evaporating or snowballing once U.S. markets open at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Intel faces its next hurdle as investors watch to see if shares steady after oil’s surge and a dip in futures. The focus now shifts to Wednesday’s conference—analysts are looking for substance on demand, execution, and where spending will go.