Intel Stock Up Today After Apple News

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•  02 Dec 2025
 

•   INTC  
   
  -0.32%

If you've been holding through the pain of the last few years, you're probably feeling something you haven't felt in a while: vindication.$INTC is now up 120% from where it started the year, sitting at levels not seen in 12 months. The reason Intel stock surged today is Apple news reports that Apple might use Intel manufacturing services for future M-series chips, and suddenly the story you've been betting on feels real.

Here's the thing about trading Intel. You know the company was left for dead. You watched it lose its manufacturing edge. You saw competitors pull ahead while Intel stumbled through delay after delay. And maybe you bought the stock anyway because you believed the turnaround was coming, or maybe you stayed away because you'd been burned before. Either way, why Intel stock is up today forces a decision.

The Apple news isn't confirmed. There's no press release, no joint announcement, no contract terms. What exists is market chatter that Apple is considering Intel for lower-tier M-series chips. The kind of processors that go into simpler devices, not the flagship products. And yet Intel stock is up 9% today on that alone.

If you're skeptical, you have every right to be. Intel has made promises before. The market has gotten excited before. And plenty of times, the excitement faded when execution didn't match the hype. But if you're watching Intel stock today, you might notice this time feels different and that's what's keeping you interested even as part of you wants to take profits after a 120% run.

What makes today rally different is context. Intel isn't just hoping someone will use its foundry services. The company has been investing heavily in new manufacturing technology called 18A and 14A, both expected to launch in 2026. Recent reports show that early testing of 14A has been successful. That matters because you can't win Apple business or anyone else business if your technology isn't competitive with TSMC and Samsung.

You know that Intel needs this. The foundry strategy is the centerpiece of the comeback. Without it, Intel is just another chip company trying to compete in markets where it's already lost ground. With it, Intel becomes something different: a US-based alternative for companies that want manufacturing flexibility or prefer to avoid geopolitical risk in their supply chains.

And Apple is the perfect customer to prove that vision works. Not because one deal would save the company, but because landing Apple would signal to every other potential customer that Intel is credible again. It's about credibility more than revenue, though the revenue from a multi-year Apple contract wouldn't hurt either.

The challenge you're facing right now is that the market just priced in the good news before it's confirmed. If Apple actually signs, the stock might not jump much more because today jump already reflects that hope. If Apple doesn't sign, you're looking at a pullback. That's the risk of playing on speculation instead of facts.

Intel also announced a 208-million-dollar investment in Malaysia to expand chip assembly and testing capacity. That's real money going into real facilities. It shows commitment to scaling production and preparing for increased demand. It's not flashy, but it's the kind of operational move that matters when you're trying to build a foundry business from scratch.

The question eating at you is whether this rally has more room to run or whether it's time to lock in gains. You've seen Intel at its worst. Maybe you bought at 20 dollars thinking it couldn't go lower. Maybe you bought at 30 convinced the bottom was in. Maybe you're up big and worried about giving it back, or maybe you missed the entire move and you're trying to figure out if there's still an entry point.

Here's what you need to understand about where Intel stands. The stock has recovered 120 percent this year because the market is starting to believe the foundry strategy might actually work. But believing and knowing are different things. Intel still has to execute. The 18A and 14A technology has to deliver on schedule. Customers have to sign contracts. Production has to scale without the delays that plagued the company for years.

Some big institutional investors are already taking profits. They rode the wave up, and now they're rotating out even as the rally continues. At the same time, analysts are warning about stretched valuations across AI-related tech stocks. That doesn't mean Intel is doomed, but it means you can't ignore the possibility that semiconductor stocks broadly pull back and take Intel with them.

If you're holding Intel, you're probably thinking about that 120% gain and wondering if you're being greedy by wanting more. The smart money is supposed to take profits when things are good, right? But what if this is just the beginning? What if Apple really does sign and Intel becomes the US foundry the market has been waiting for? You didn't hold through the rough years to sell before the payoff.

If you're on the sidelines, you're watching a stock that's already run hard and trying to decide if you're chasing or getting in at the start of the next leg. You know Intel was undervalued at the lows. But at these levels, with gains this strong and speculation this thin, are you buying a turnaround or buying the top?

The truth is nobody knows yet. What we know is Intel is investing in the right things. The Malaysia expansion is real. The technology development is progressing. The foundry strategy makes sense. But the gap between strategy and results is where companies either prove themselves or disappoint, and Intel has disappointed more than it's delivered over the last several years.

The Apple rumors could turn into something real, or they could evaporate like so many other rumors do. Either way, Intel future depends on more than one customer. It depends on building a foundry business that can compete globally, on schedule, at scale. That takes years, not quarters.

So where does that leave you? If you believe Intel can execute, if you believe the foundry business will attract major customers beyond Apple, if you believe the technology will deliver, then today jump is noise in a much longer story. If you're worried the stock has run too far too fast on hope instead of results, then today might be the day to take some chips off the table.

What keeps you up at night with a position like this is the fear of being wrong either way. Selling too early and watching it run without you. Holding too long and giving back gains you should have protected. There's no perfect answer, which is exactly why Intel generates so much debate among people who follow it closely.

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