New York, February 18, 2026, 10:37 EST — Regular session
Intel (INTC.O) bounced roughly 1% on Wednesday, reversing earlier declines as chip names found their footing following a shaky open for U.S. stocks. Shares were recently trading at $46.64, recovering from a session low of $44.90.
Just a day earlier, Intel dropped 1.3% and ended the session at $46.18, trailing behind larger chipmakers while the market as a whole edged up. The stock is still far from its recent 52-week peak of $54.60, set on Jan. 22. (MarketWatch)
Timing is a big deal for Intel shareholders. Traders have been quick to react to shifts in chip demand or interest rate expectations, and the combination tends to hit established stocks like this harder than the screens sometimes show.
Nvidia’s rally sent a boost across Big Tech, after the chipmaker announced a multi-year agreement to supply Meta Platforms with millions of both current and next-gen AI chips. “The market is more at a crossroads and waiting for some sort of a bullish or bearish catalyst,” CFRA chief investment strategist Sam Stovall said. (Reuters)
Nvidia climbed roughly 2.7% on the day. Advanced Micro Devices slipped, down about 1.4%. The group as a whole showed a mixed picture.
Investors are bracing for the next event on Wednesday: the Federal Reserve will release minutes from its January meeting at 2 p.m. EST. Policymakers left the fed funds rate untouched at 3.5% to 3.75%, a move Chair Jerome Powell described as having “broad support” for the pause. (Reuters)
Next up: inflation numbers. The government drops its personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index—the inflation measure the Fed watches most—on Feb. 20. (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
For Intel, it’s not one big news item shaping sentiment this week, but rather the ongoing question of execution. Back in late January, the company projected first-quarter sales and earnings that fell short of expectations, pointing to difficulties catching up with AI-fueled demand for certain data-center chips. Supply constraints and product rollout timing are still front and center in the turnaround narrative. (Reuters)
But bulls have something to watch out for. Should the Fed minutes turn out more hawkish than traders are betting, yields might climb, putting pressure on valuations in rate-sensitive tech. And Intel isn’t off the hook—it still faces the challenge of showing it can turn demand into actual shipments, all without ceding pricing power to competitors.
Investors are zeroed in on the Fed minutes due at 2 p.m. EST, plus Friday’s PCE numbers. After that, attention swings back to Intel and any fresh details on demand, capacity, or its manufacturing plans. For now, though, there’s nothing on Intel’s investor relations calendar. (Intc)
