Shares of Intel are up after the struggling American semiconductor giant posted a not-as-awful-as-expected loss of $126 million in the fourth quarter, on better-than-expected sales of $14.26 billion.
Sure, the company that jettisoned its CEO in December issued guidance that was a bit weak. But traders cheered the numbers, pushing the shares up by nearly 4% in the after-hours session.
US job openings fell to 7.15 million in November, down from 7.45 million in the previous month, marking the lowest level since September 2024, according to BLS’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) report released Wednesday.
The figure came in below all economist forecasts in a Bloomberg survey and declined across most industries, with the biggest pullback seen in leisure & hospitality, health care & social assistance, and transportation and warehousing. Only a few industries, including construction and retail, added jobs.
Hiring slowed as well, while layoffs declined to a six-month low, extending the “hire less, fire less” mode that has defined the US labor market for much of the past year — and that shift is making life even tougher not just for aspiring job switchers, but also for those trying to land a job in the first place.
Mobile-services-from-space play — and retail investor favorite — AST SpaceMobile rose after receiving a target price upgrade from Bank of America analysts.
In a note published Thursday, BofA telecom services analysts lifted their price target for the stock to $100 from $85, while noting that the low-Earth orbit satellite industry — which supercharged stocks like Rocket Lab, Planet Labs, and AST in 2025 — is set to gain more attention this year:
“We expect the momentum to intensify in 2026 as providers like ASTS and Starlink jockey to offer full cellular service and capture subscribers. Debates will likely grow regarding Starlink’s plans to offer full cellular service and regulatory decisions on Ligado and EchoStar spectrum transactions are events to watch. Carrier partnerships could evolve and pricing and plan decisions should be clearer by year end as ASTS approaches full constellation operability.”
Still, they maintained their “neutral” rating on the stock, saying they “await progress on ASTS 1) fully producing and subsequently launching its BlueBird satellite constellation, 2) successfully operating the constellation, and 3) capturing subscribers and turning them into revenue paying subscribers before becoming more constructive on the story.”
The market has been less reticent: the money-losing company’s shares are up approximately 300% over the last year.
