U.S. Stock Futures Quiet as S&P 500 Nears Record
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 24 2025
0mins
Should l Buy INTC?
Stock index futures were quiet in early pre-market trading ahead of a similarly muted holiday shortened session. U.S. stock markets closed at 1 pm ET and bond markets close at 2 pm ET.The S&P 500 index managed to hold near a record following the thin holiday trading as investors parsed labor market data for additional clues on the Federal Reserve's interest rate path. The move in the benchmark index follows four-straight sessions of gains. The Dow also gained, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index closed little changed.Initial jobless claims fell to 214,000 for the week ended December 20, which was below expectations, and continuing jobless claims rose 38,000 to 1.92M in the latest survey.On the commodities front, gold prices climbed to another record, above $4,500 an ounce, while silver and platinum prices also hit records and copper heads for a 40% annual gain.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with this market wrap Fly By.STOCK NEWS:Intelshares slid afterthat Nvidiarecently tested out whether it would manufacture its chips using Intel's 18A production process, but stopped moving forwardSanofiagreed toof Dynavax Technologiesfor $15.50 per share in cash, reflecting a total equity value of $2.2BBPreached ana 65% shareholding in Castrol to Stonepeak, at an enterprise value of $10.1B, resulting in total net proceeds of $6BWALL STREET CALLS:NorthcoastCostcoto Buy with a $1,100 price targetRaymond JamesKB Hometo Market Perform following the company's "disappointing" Q4 reportComstock Inc.to Market Perform at Noble CapitalSpire Globalto Neutral from Buy at Alliance Global3. AROUND THE WEB:Ares Managementis open to buying a private equity firm in an attempt to bolster its leveraged buyout business,Bitcoin mining companies like Core Scientific, Cipher Mining, Iren, and CleanSparkhave transitioned to artificial intelligence data centers,Hondawill acquire LG Energy Solution's facilities and other assets from their joint battery plant in Ohio for approximately $2.9B,A federal judge has blocked a Texas law requiring companies that run mobile app stores, like Appleand Google, to verify ages of users,4. MOVERS:Agios Pharmaceuticalsincreased after thein anemia patientsEdgewise Therapeuticsgained afterfrom its Phase 2 EDG-7500 trialUiPathclosed higher after beingin the S&P 400 at the open on January 1, 2026Tesla (TSLA) fell afterthe NHTSA has opened a probe into the Model 3 vehicle over door release controlsBrandywine Realtyclosed lower after being picked toon the S&P 600INDEXES:The Dow rose 288.75, or 0.60%, to 48,731.16, the Nasdaq gained 51.46, or 0.22%, to 23,613.31, and the S&P 500 advanced 22.26, or 0.32%, to 6,932.05.
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Analyst Views on INTC
Wall Street analysts forecast INTC stock price to fall
29 Analyst Rating
5 Buy
19 Hold
5 Sell
Hold
Current: 46.780
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
Current: 46.780
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
About INTC
Intel Corporation is a global designer and manufacturer of semiconductor products. The Company operates through three segments: Intel Products, Intel Foundry, and All Other. Its Intel Products segment includes Client Computing Group (CCG), Data Center and AI (DCAI), Network and Edge (NEX). The CCG is bringing together the operating system, system architecture, hardware, and software application integration to enable PC experiences. DCAI delivers workload-optimized solutions to cloud service providers and enterprises, along with silicon devices for communications service providers, network and edge, and HPC customers. NEX helps networks and edge compute systems from fixed-function hardware to general-purpose compute, acceleration, and networking devices running cloud native software on programmable hardware. The Intel Foundry segment comprises technology development, manufacturing and foundry services. All Other segments include Altera, Mobileye, Other.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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See More
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- Significant Revenue Growth: Oracle's revenue surged 22% year-over-year to $17.2 billion in its fiscal 2026 third quarter, driven by an 84% increase in cloud infrastructure revenue to $4.9 billion, highlighting the company's robust performance in the AI-driven cloud market.
- Improved Profitability: Adjusted operating income rose 19% to $7.4 billion, while adjusted earnings jumped 21% to $1.79, exceeding Wall Street's estimate of $1.69, alleviating investor concerns about potential short-term earnings impacts from rapid data center expansion.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Oracle projects revenue and adjusted earnings-per-share growth of 19% to 21% and 15% to 17%, respectively, for the fourth quarter, with revenue expected to reach $90 billion in fiscal 2027, up from $67 billion in fiscal 2026, reflecting strong confidence in future growth.
- Strong Market Demand: CEO Clay Magouyrk emphasized that demand for AI infrastructure continues to exceed supply, particularly for GPUs and CPUs, indicating Oracle's significant position in the rapidly evolving AI market, which will further drive performance growth.
See More
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- Oil Price Surge Impacts Market: Despite the IEA's decision to release 400 million barrels from strategic reserves to address supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices rose by 4.6%, exerting downward pressure on the stock market, particularly amid the ongoing conflict in Iran.
- Limited Impact from Inflation Data: February's CPI rose 2.4% year-over-year, with core CPI at 2.5%, which, while close to five-year lows, remains above the Fed's 2% target, leading to a muted market reaction and reflecting investor concerns over future inflation pressures.
- Mixed Performance in Tech Stocks: Following Oracle's strong AI demand announcement, tech stocks received a boost with Oracle's shares rising over 9%, yet other tech stocks like IBM and Microsoft saw slight declines, indicating ongoing uncertainty in investor confidence within the tech sector.
- Private Credit Market Struggles: JPMorgan Chase's restriction on lending to private credit funds has led to an exodus of investors from the $1.8 trillion sector, exacerbating market uncertainty and negatively impacting overall stock performance.
See More
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- Stable Inflation Data: The US February CPI rose 2.4% year-over-year, with core CPI at 2.5%, indicating persistent inflation pressures that remain above the Fed's 2% target, potentially influencing future monetary policy decisions.
- Private Credit Market Constraints: JPMorgan Chase's restriction on lending to private credit funds hampers the $1.8 trillion private credit market amid investor exodus, which could exacerbate financial difficulties and impact overall market confidence.
- Mixed Tech Stock Performance: While Oracle surged over 10% due to strong earnings, other tech stocks like Amazon and Microsoft declined, indicating uneven support for the tech sector and potentially affecting investor sentiment towards technology investments.
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See More
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Pricing Information: The starting prices for the new processors are set at $299 for the Core Ultra 7270K and $199 for the Core Ultra 5250K.
See More
