April 24, 2026
Dear Five Star Traders,
What a day in the semiconductor sector! Intel (INTC) absolutely crushed it after hours yesterday, sending the stock soaring 20–25%+ today and pulling AMD (AMD) higher by double digits in sympathy. This is a historical earnings move for Intel, resulting in a 2x the expected market maker move post-earnings, which also sent the stock through its third Fibonacci extension target at the 2.618% extension level.
Check it out in the Hot Zone Below:
My favorite semiconductor ETF, the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), was up over 5% and set another all-time high today. The semiconductor group is typically the relative-strength market leader, meaning this kind of move only increases my confidence in the rally’s strength. The vast majority of the semiconductor stocks I follow are at or just below new, all-time highs.
Check out my Semiconductor Phoenix Comparison grid below:
That being said, SMH and the Nasdaq itself are overbought at these levels, so don’t let FOMO (the fear of missing out) get you at these levels. There will be better opportunities to buy these strong trends once we see a market pullback.
Why Intel’s Q1 Report Was a Massive Beat
Intel delivered numbers that left Wall Street stunned:
- Revenue: $13.6 billion (beat estimates by more than $1.2 billion)
- Adjusted EPS: $0.29 vs. ~$0.01 expected
The real story was the Data Center & AI (DCAI) segment, which jumped 22% year-over-year to $5.1 billion on “unprecedented demand for silicon.” Management highlighted explosive demand for Xeon server CPUs — the chips powering AI inference, agentic (multi-agent) systems, and the orchestration of massive GPU clusters. They even sold previously written-off inventory because demand was so strong. Q2 guidance was equally bullish, signaling that this CPU tailwind is just getting started.
This is the CPU renaissance in action. The AI buildout isn’t only about training models on GPUs anymore — companies now need powerful CPUs to run, manage, and scale those models in the real world.
CPU vs. GPU – Quick Trader Refresher
- CPU (Intel Xeon / AMD EPYC): Fewer, ultra-powerful cores. Built for sequential tasks, complex decision-making, and orchestration. Think of it as the “brain” coordinating everything.
- GPU (Nvidia H100 / AMD MI300): Thousands of simpler cores. Designed for massive parallel math — perfect for training giant models.
Today’s move proves the market is finally pricing in that both are essential. The CPU side of the AI stack is now seeing the same explosive demand that GPUs have enjoyed for years.
My Take from Today’s Schwab Network Appearance
I joined the Schwab Network this morning to break down the AI chip frenzy live. We covered how INTC is leading the charge post-earnings, but I also flagged Nvidia (NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Broadcom (AVGO) as names still very much on my radar.
AMD is up 13% today, and has exploded since it hit the Earnings Hot Zone. You may have seen my video previously, where I noted that when AMD entered the Earnings Hot Zone, it was set up for a buy. If you missed my video from two weeks ago, take a look now to learn how to spot these setups before they run!
Don’t Miss My Free Options Earnings Calendar Tool
Earnings season is far from over. Next week brings another wave of big reports, and the best way to stay ahead is to build your own high-conviction watchlist. It used to take me 3-4 hours to create my earnings watchlist for the week, so I built my own web-based tool that lets me do it in less than 30 minutes. Want to check it out and create your own watchlist?
Head over to my Options Earnings Calendar at optionsearnings.com — it’s completely free and powered by clean, trader-friendly data:
- Visual Editable Earnings Calendar that is easily savable and shareable
- Ticker Previews, including company overview, earnings history, and social sentiment
- Implied volatility (IV) Comparisons and options chain data
- Recent, relevant news and social posts
Whether you trade straddles, iron condors, or directional plays, this tool helps you get organized for earnings. If you make a free account, you can save your custom calendars, access the detailed earnings data, and more.
Final Thoughts
The AI infrastructure story just got a powerful new chapter with today’s CPU validation. Stay disciplined, manage risk in this extended market, and keep your watchlist sharp with the calendar tool.
Danielle Shay
VP of Options, Simpler Trading
@traderDanielle | Fox Business | CNBC | StockCharts
P.S. For live trade ideas, real-time scans, and deeper options analysis, join me in the Mastering the Trade Room at Simpler Trading.
