Intel Shares Rally on PC Processor Price-Hike Report; US Stake Up $36B

Intel (INTC) shares gained as much as 9.5% on Tuesday after a supply-chain report said the company would raise personal computer processor prices by roughly 10% in early October.

The rally left the U.S. government's 9.9% stake in Intel sitting on a paper gain of about $36 billion. Washington purchased the stake in August 2025.

What the Price-Hike Report Meant for Intel Shares

Price increases are normally bad news, since they can drive customers away. Investors saw this one differently, though.

The report was read as a sign that Intel wants to protect profit per chip rather than chase sales volume. Lip-Bu Tan, the chief executive, has been pruning low-margin product lines since late 2025. Intel has yet to say when the move takes effect or which chips are involved.

$INTC REPORTEDLY PLANS ANOTHER 10% PC CPU PRICE HIKE IN OCTOBER

The increase is aimed at improving gross margins rather than gaining market share, according to DIGITIMES, as global PC shipments are expected to fall to roughly 250M units in 2027.

Intel is also reportedly…

— Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) September 8, 2026

Northland Securities moved Intel to Outperform from Market Perform on Tuesday as well, setting a $120 price target. The upgrade cited progress on the turnaround, scarce server processors, and Musk's Terafab chip project.

Washington's Position and an Intel Foundry Milestone

An August 2025 agreement saw the U.S. government pay $8.9 billion for 433.3 million Intel shares. That worked out to $20.47 a share, or 9.9% of the company.

With the stock around $105, the position is worth roughly $45.5 billion, putting the unrealized gain at close to $36.6 billion.

BREAKING: The US government is now up $35.9 billion on its Intel investment.

The US government bought a 9.9% stake in Intel at $20.47 per share back in August 2025.

— Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) September 8, 2026

The stake has previously been worth even more, however. In May, BeInCrypto said the paper gain had touched $47.6 billion after an Apple chip deal. Since then, Intel has fallen from its summer high. President Trump has taken to social media more than once to tout Intel's gains.

Separately, Intel and ASML said over one million silicon wafers have been put through Intel's High-NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machines. Wafers, the discs from which chips are cut, get circuit patterns printed onto them by these machines, the newest tools for the job.

This figure spans testing, research, and production. The October price rise remains unconfirmed by Intel. Third-quarter results, due in late October, should reveal whether computer makers take on the increase.