A Tale of Two Tech Sectors: Nasdaq 100 Holds Firm as Intel Plummets

Friday’s trading session painted a stark picture of divergence within the technology sector. The Nasdaq 100 index demonstrated notable resilience, closing 0.34% higher at 25,605 points. This gain occurred despite a single, dramatic collapse: shares of semiconductor giant Intel plunged by 17%. The index’s strength was almost entirely attributable to powerful gains in artificial intelligence-focused stocks, raising questions about the sustainability of this split market performance.

The session was defined by a brutal rotation away from legacy hardware. Intel’s historic drop followed a deeply disappointing revenue forecast for the first quarter of 2026, projected between $11.7 and $12.7 billion. CEO Lip-Bu Tan cited “multi-year” restructuring efforts and significant supply constraints, comments that triggered a Read more...