This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) jumped 6% on Friday after President Trump publicly praised CEO Lip-Bu Tan, calling the meeting great and highlighting the U.S. government’s stake in the company. The endorsement gave a boost to semiconductor and AI-related stocks, with Broadcom (AVGO), Micron (NASDAQ:MU), and AMD (AMD) posting modest gains.
The broader U.S. stock market also moved higher as investors digested the latest jobs report and corporate updates. The S&P 500 added 0.5%, the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 158 points, or 0.3%. December payrolls grew by 50,000, below the 73,000 expected, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, slightly better than forecast. Analysts described the report as mixed but viewed it as a sign of steady economic momentum.
Other notable movers included nuclear companies Vistra (NYSE:VST) and Oklo (NYSE:OKLO), which climbed 15% and 18% on new deals to supply Meta’s AI operations. Southwest Airlines (LUV) gained over 3% on a JPMorgan upgrade, and Generac (GNRC) advanced nearly 3% following Baird’s bullish outlook on industrial diesel generators.