New York, March 2, 2026, 06:59 EST — Premarket
- Intel shares fell about 3% before the open, tracking a broader risk-off tone in U.S. futures.
- Chip peers AMD and TSM were also down in early trading, while Nvidia was modestly lower.
- Traders are eyeing Intel’s March 4 Morgan Stanley conference slot and Friday’s U.S. jobs report.
Intel Corp (INTC.O) shares slid 3% in premarket trading on Monday, hovering around $44.24, as investors cut exposure to riskier corners of the market ahead of the U.S. open. 1
The early drop comes as U.S. stock index futures — contracts that signal where markets may open — fell more than 1% amid a sharp jump in oil prices after a weekend escalation in the Middle East. “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
Semiconductor names moved with the broader tape. Advanced Micro Devices was down about 2.8% in premarket trade, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s U.S.-listed shares fell about 2.1%; Nvidia was off about 0.7%. 3
Intel’s next near-term company catalyst is set for Wednesday, when it is scheduled to speak at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. The appearance is on Intel’s investor calendar for March 4 at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time. 4
Fresh sector news also kept focus on chipmaking and supply chains. ASML, the only maker of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools used to print the finest patterns on wafers, is looking beyond EUV into areas like “advanced packaging” — the technology used to connect multiple chips together for AI workloads — and counts Intel and TSMC among key users of its EUV systems. “We look, not just for the next five years, we look at the next 10, maybe 15 years,” ASML Chief Technology Officer Marco Pieters told Reuters. 5
The economic calendar is another live wire. Manufacturing activity readings are due later Monday, and the U.S. Employment Situation report for February is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET — data that can quickly move Treasury yields and, in turn, valuations for big technology and chip stocks. 6
But premarket trading can exaggerate moves. Liquidity is thinner and bid-ask spreads can widen before the cash session opens, so early declines sometimes fade — or deepen — once U.S. stocks start trading at 9:30 a.m. ET.
For Intel, the next test is whether the stock stabilizes once the market digests oil’s jump and the broader futures drop, and whether Wednesday’s conference appearance adds anything concrete on demand, execution and spending priorities.
