Intel Stock Soars as Takeover Speculation Spreads

• S&P 500 up 1% in 2025 on Friday, January 17, entering the three-day weekend on a high note as prospects for further rate cuts in 2025 rebounded.

• Intel shares rose after reports that the semiconductor giant could be a takeover target.

• Freight carrier JB Hunt reported lower-than-expected sales and profit in the fourth quarter and its shares fell.

Major US stock indices pushed higher to finish the week, with traders set a day off On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday will also mark the inauguration of Donald Trump for his second term as president.

Stocks’ strength to close the week coincided with renewed optimism that the Federal Reserve may continue to cut interest rates in 2025. with reinforced instructions decrease in inflation. (Here are four reasons inflation is still around.)

The S&P 500 rose 1% on Friday.Strength in the technology sector helped lift the Nasdaq by 1.5%, while the Dow ended the day 0.8% higher.

Intel (INTC:) shares rose 9.3% to top the S&P 500 amid news of the semiconductor giant. may become a target for capture. Intel shares posted higher earnings on Friday after the chipmaker said it would spin off its venture capital fund and the company would remain an investor, a move Intel’s interim CEO said would help the company increase efficiency and maximize the value of its assets.

SLB (SLB:), the world’s largest oilfield services company, reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, increased its dividend and stepped up share buybacks. high oil supply curbs oilfield activity, its shares jumped 6.1% on a strong earnings report.

Shares of Truist Financial (TFC:) rose 5.9% after the bank’s holdings topped quarterly sales and profit estimates.Net interest income and non-interest income rose from their prior-year levels.A rise in average deposit balances also helped Truist , which occurred despite a decline in the average loan balance.

Shares in JB Hunt Transport Services (JBHT:) suffered the steepest decline of any S&P 500 stock on Friday, down 7.4% after the trucking company’s fourth-quarter sales and earnings. defied expectations. Declining volumes weighed on performance, and the company reported a decline in revenue across its segments. JB Hunt’s CEO said the company remains focused on repairing its margins as it navigates the headwinds of the shipping industry.

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