NEW YORK, Feb 26, 2026, 18:14 EST — Trading after the bell.
- Intel shares dropped roughly 3% on Thursday, ending a two-session streak of gains.
- Chip shares slipped, with investors sizing up Nvidia’s guidance and its plans for capital outlays.
- Attention shifts to upcoming U.S. inflation figures and Intel’s pending investor event.
Intel slid 3.0% to $45.46 during Thursday’s session, moving little in after-hours trading. Chip stocks broadly got hit late, with investors jittery after Nvidia’s numbers sent the sector on a rollercoaster. Intel shares had tacked on 1.65% the previous day.
Why does it matter? Nvidia’s results continue to steer sentiment for AI chipmakers, but the reaction was different this round. Shares dropped, with analysts pointing to investors zeroing in on Nvidia’s hefty reinvestment into the AI ecosystem—and not so much on the headline beats or potential payouts to shareholders.
That change in sentiment swings the focus to Intel once more. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, speaking with analysts, said, “We love CPUs as well as GPUs,” teeing up investors for another round in the data-center processor arena. Intel and AMD have dominated that territory for years, but Nvidia is rolling out its own CPU lineup. Reuters
The conversation isn’t just about the chips themselves—there’s a lot happening beneath the surface. ASML announced its next-gen High-NA EUV lithography gear has reached the point where it can be used for high-volume production. It’s a big step, with the company saying this should give chipmakers like Intel a way to turn out more advanced chips, and potentially trim manufacturing steps. Still, don’t expect everything to be fully integrated right away; ASML cautioned it will likely be years before that happens.
Tech stocks tied to interest rates are facing a packed agenda. U.S. jobless claims barely budged, holding at low levels. Eyes are now shifting to Friday’s producer price index, with the February jobs report on deck next week, and the U.S. PCE inflation data following in mid-March—all crucial for reading the Fed’s next steps and the market’s risk appetite.
Intel remains hemmed in by a guarded short-term forecast. Back in January, the company called for first-quarter revenue between $11.7 billion and $12.7 billion, with a non-GAAP gross margin pegged at 34.5%. Not a lot of cushion there if demand or execution trips up.
The risk is straightforward: should investors keep punishing the “AI spend now, profit later” narrative, the sector could remain under pressure — and Intel, facing stiff competition in data centers plus questions about its manufacturing strategy, isn’t getting a long leash from the market.
March 4 lands as the next key date for traders watching Intel, with CFO David Zinsner scheduled to appear at Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. Investors typically press for updates on demand, supply snags, and how roadmap targets are shaping up.
