Key Takeaways

• President Trump expressed regret about requesting only a 10% government stake in Intel, stating he “should have asked for more”
• Intel shares climbed 0.68% in premarket Monday to $109.51, bucking broader market weakness
• The chipmaker’s recent quarterly performance exceeded forecasts: $0.29 EPS versus $0.01 expected, and $13.58B revenue against $12.32B projections
• The North Dakota State Investment Board initiated a fresh $5.53M Intel stake during Q4
• Wall Street maintains a Hold consensus with a $77.38 mean price target — significantly below current price levels

President Trump sparked renewed attention around Intel on Monday following a Fortune magazine interview where he revealed the federal government should have negotiated a larger ownership percentage in the semiconductor giant.

Intel Corporation, INTC

“He said, ‘You have a deal.’ I said, ‘Shit, I should have asked for more,’” Trump recalled during the conversation.

Shares of INTC reached $109.51 during premarket trading Monday, advancing 0.68%, even as broader indices showed weakness — Nasdaq futures declined 0.14%, indicating Intel-specific momentum.

Trump positioned the Intel equity arrangement within his broader economic strategy that blends tariffs, government equity stakes, and major commercial agreements designed to channel international investment into American markets. He referenced the national debt reaching “$38 trillion” as justification for pursuing non-traditional government participation in corporate strategies.

The statement created immediate market impact, driving share price movement.

Intel’s technical trajectory has been among the most volatile within the semiconductor space. Currently, the stock trades 11.9% above its 20-day simple moving average and an impressive 143.8% above its 200-day SMA. A bullish golden cross emerged in August 2025, triggering a sustained rally.

The 52-week price range paints a striking picture: from a low of $18.97 to a peak of $132.75. Intel currently occupies the upper end of this substantial range.

Quarterly Results Exceed Projections, Yet Uncertainty Persists

Intel’s latest quarterly financial report provided encouraging data for optimistic investors. The semiconductor manufacturer delivered earnings per share of $0.29, crushing the $0.01 consensus forecast by $0.28. Revenue reached $13.58 billion compared to the $12.32 billion estimate — achieving beats across both metrics.

Revenue increased 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. For a corporation that faced significant headwinds throughout the previous two years, this growth metric carries weight.

Intel has projected Q2 2026 EPS guidance at $0.20. The analyst community anticipates full fiscal year EPS of $0.63, with the upcoming earnings announcement scheduled for approximately July 23, 2026.

Notwithstanding the robust quarterly performance, Wall Street’s collective stance remains conservative. The consensus analyst price target stands at $77.38 — approximately 30% beneath current trading prices.

Professional Ratings and Institutional Portfolio Adjustments

Mizuho elevated its price objective to $124 on May 12 while maintaining a Neutral stance. RBC Capital Markets continued its Sector Perform rating with an $80 target. Tigress Financial Partners affirmed its Buy recommendation and increased its target to $118.

The divergence among price targets reflects underlying uncertainty — Wall Street analysts lack consensus, and the stock has surpassed most valuation frameworks.

Regarding institutional activity, the North Dakota State Investment Board established a new $5.53 million position during Q4, acquiring 149,868 shares. Multiple smaller investment advisors also expanded their holdings throughout the quarter.

April Miller Boise, an Intel Executive Vice President, divested 40,256 shares on May 1st at a $99.53 average price, trimming her holdings by 27.7%.

Intel recently announced a partnership as the official compute partner for McLaren Racing, creating high-profile visibility for its processor technology.

Erste Group Bank upgraded its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings projections for Intel, though certain analysts continue highlighting competitive threats from AMD and Arm in the server CPU market.

Critical resistance remains at $132.75 — the 52-week high watermark.

Quick Summary

• Dominion Energy shares climbed more than 12% in early trading following news that NextEra Energy is exploring a potential acquisition valued at approximately $66 billion.
• LiveRamp shares spiked 26% after Publicis Groupe announced plans to acquire the company for $2.5 billion at $38.50 per share—representing nearly a 30% premium.
• Bitcoin Depot shares plummeted 63% after the company announced a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and shut down its ATM operations.
• S&P 500 futures declined 0.42% while Bitcoin fell 2.05% to $76,778 amid broader market weakness.
• Victory Capital and Regeneron led decliners with drops of 39.3% and 12.2% respectively during early market hours.

Monday’s early trading session delivered dramatic price swings across multiple equities, fueled by significant merger activity, a major bankruptcy announcement, and widespread market headwinds.

Dominion Energy emerged as one of the session’s strongest performers. The utility provider’s stock jumped over 12% following reports that NextEra Energy has entered preliminary acquisition discussions. According to sources, the potential all-stock merger would value Dominion at approximately $66 billion, with total enterprise value reaching roughly $116 billion including existing debt obligations.

NextEra Energy, Inc., NEE

If finalized, this transaction would represent the utility sector’s largest acquisition ever recorded. The deal would provide NextEra with expanded access to the PJM interconnection grid, particularly in Northern Virginia—a region experiencing explosive data center expansion driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure needs. However, negotiations remain ongoing and no definitive agreement has been reached, meaning discussions could ultimately collapse.

LiveRamp represented another significant winner in early trading. The company’s stock surged 26% following Publicis Groupe’s announcement of a $2.5 billion all-cash acquisition. Under the agreement terms, Publicis will pay $38.50 for each LiveRamp share—reflecting approximately a 29.8% premium compared to Thursday’s closing price. Publicis indicated the acquisition would bolster its data analytics and artificial intelligence offerings, simultaneously revising upward its financial projections for 2027 and 2028.

Bitcoin Depot Files for Bankruptcy Protection

Bitcoin Depot experienced the session’s most severe decline. The stock crashed 63% after management announced Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing. Company leadership stated intentions to cease operations and liquidate remaining assets.

Chief Executive Officer Alex Holmes attributed the collapse to increasingly stringent fraud prevention mandates, escalating regulatory compliance expenses, ongoing litigation challenges, and intensifying regulatory scrutiny that rendered the business model economically unviable. The entire Bitcoin ATM infrastructure has been deactivated. Canadian business units are similarly anticipated to enter restructuring proceedings.

Market-Wide Weakness Emerges

Beyond specific equity movements, markets faced generalized downward pressure. S&P 500 futures decreased 0.42%, with Dow futures sliding 0.66%.

Bitcoin declined 2.05% to reach $76,778. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 4.609%, while gold futures registered modest losses and crude oil futures posted slight gains.

During Friday’s session, the S&P 500 retreated 1.24% and the Dow fell 1.07%. Asian equity markets similarly declined, with Japan’s Nikkei index dropping nearly 1%.

Among notable losers, Victory Capital tumbled 39.3% and Regeneron declined 12.2% in early action. Natera also recorded a significant pullback, losing more than 5%.

Additional early session gainers included Bio-Rad Laboratories, MYR Group, and ServiceNow, each advancing at least 5%.

Michael Saylor has suggested that Strategy could buy more Bitcoin (BTC) this week. He also urged retail investors to vote on a proxy measure allowing semi-monthly STRC payouts.

Saylor Teases Bitcoin Buy

Strategy’s Michael Saylor has hinted that the Bitcoin treasury company could buy more BTC this week. Saylor posted the all-too-familiar chart that has tracked Strategy’s purchases for the better part of six years. The former Strategy Chairman has consistently posted the chart when teasing a substantial corporate purchase. A potential BTC acquisition could add to the company’s Bitcoin holdings. Strategy currently holds 818,869 BTC, valued at around $67.2 billion at current prices.

Retail Investors Urged to Vote on STRC Dividend Vote

Saylor and Strategy are also encouraging retail investors to vote on a proxy measure that would allow the company to pay semi-monthly dividend payouts to STRC holders. Retail investors own 80% of Strategy’s perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock (STRC). The company claims semi-monthly payments will help reduce reinvestment lag, enhance liquidity, and ensure price stability. Strategy acknowledged the importance of retail investors in its social media feed as it attempts to get them to return their proxy vote, stating in a post on X,

“If you are a STRC shareholder and have not already voted, please take a moment to do it now. Together, we can make history and establish the $100 standard for Digital Credit. 80% of STRC is held by retail investors. This amendment is for you. Vote for STRC to pay semi-monthly dividends. Your vote matters. Make it count.”

Limited Interest

However, Saylor and Strategy’s overtures have seen a lukewarm response from retail investors. A Harvard Law School research note revealed that retail investors voted on only about 29% of their owned shares over the past five proxy voting seasons. On the other hand, institutional investors have voted about 77%.

Strategy has rescheduled a live Q&A session with Saylor and CEO Phong Le for Wednesday at 5 PM ET as it tries to drum up support. The session will be moderated by Natalie Brunell and will be livestreamed on YouTube and X, and retail shareholders have been encouraged to submit their questions.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Key takeaways

• BTC dips lower for a fourth straight day on Monday after losing nearly 6% the previous week.
• US-listed BTC spot ETFs record a weekly outflow of $1 billion, the highest in three months.

Bitcoin (BTC) remained under pressure on Monday, trading below $77,000 after declining nearly 6% last week, as persistent spot ETF outflows and stronger-than-expected US inflation data dampened investor appetite for risk assets.

The latest decline marks Bitcoin’s fourth consecutive day of losses, with the cryptocurrency continuing to retreat after failing to sustain momentum above the key $82,000 resistance zone.

Hot US inflation data boosts hawkish Fed expectations

Bitcoin’s recent weakness accelerated following hotter-than-expected US inflation data released last week, alongside stronger US retail sales figures that reinforced expectations for a more hawkish Federal Reserve.

The renewed inflation concerns strengthened the US dollar and pushed Treasury yields higher, creating additional pressure on risk-sensitive assets such as cryptocurrencies.

Higher interest rate expectations typically reduce market liquidity and shift investor capital toward safer, yield-generating assets, limiting demand for speculative markets like Bitcoin.

The rejection near the $82,000 level also triggered additional profit-taking from short-term holders, intensifying the correction.

Institutional demand for Bitcoin also weakened notably last week. According to data from CoinGlass, US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded net outflows of approximately $1 billion last week, marking the largest weekly withdrawal since late January.

The sharp reversal in ETF flows signals a cooling of institutional sentiment after several weeks of strong inflows that had previously supported Bitcoin’s rally.

If ETF outflows continue in the coming sessions, analysts warn that Bitcoin could face additional downside pressure.

Bitcoin price outlook: Bulls failed to take out a key resistance level

The BTC/USD 4-hour chart is bearish after Bitcoin’s price was rejected near the 100-week Exponential Moving Average (EMA) around $82,289.

BTC also closed last week below the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level near $78,490, measured from the October all-time high of $126,199 to the February low around $60,000.

The breakdown below those key technical levels has shifted momentum firmly lower. If selling pressure persists, Bitcoin could extend losses toward the major psychological support level at $75,000.

On the weekly chart, momentum indicators remain mixed but increasingly cautious. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) slipped below the neutral 50 level and currently sits near 35, signaling a strong bearish momentum.

Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) histogram is also in the negative region, suggesting that the bears are in control. 

If the bearish trend persists, immediate support sits near the clustered 50-day and 100-day EMAs below current price action.

Further downside targets include the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement near $74,487, followed by the previous trendline breakout zone around $70,576.

Below that, the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement near $68,950 remains a critical level protecting Bitcoin’s broader bullish structure above the $60,000 swing low.

However, if the bulls regain control, initial resistance emerges near the 50% Fibonacci retracement around $78,962, followed by the 200-day EMA near $81,853.

A stronger bullish continuation would likely require a daily close above the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement near $83,437 and the horizontal resistance barrier around $84,410.