U.S. Stocks Rise on Friday, Intel Surges Over 10%
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 12 2026
0mins
Should l Buy INTC?
Source: Benzinga
- Market Sentiment Improvement: The CNN Money Fear & Greed Index rose from 47.2 to 50.6, indicating a shift towards neutral sentiment, which may attract more investors and bolster market confidence.
- Employment Data Impact: December nonfarm payrolls increased by 50,000, slightly below the expected 60,000, while the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.4%, suggesting potential stabilization in the labor market that could influence future monetary policy.
- Strong Stock Market Performance: The Dow Jones gained approximately 238 points, closing at 49,504.07, while the S&P 500 rose 0.65% to 6,966.28 and the Nasdaq climbed 0.81% to 23,671.35, reflecting investor optimism regarding economic recovery.
- Intel Stock Surge: Following President Trump's meeting with CEO Lip-Bu Tan, Intel's stock jumped over 10%, reaching its highest level since March 2024, indicating strong market confidence in the company's future prospects.
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Analyst Views on INTC
Wall Street analysts forecast INTC stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for INTC is 39.30 USD with a low forecast of 20.00 USD and a high forecast of 52.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
29 Analyst Rating
5 Buy
19 Hold
5 Sell
Hold
Current: 48.240
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
Current: 48.240
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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