By Marcin Frąckiewicz
Publication Date: 2025-12-16 19:07:00
NEW YORK — Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 (around 1:45 p.m. ET) — U.S.-listed semiconductor stocks are trading mixed midday as investors juggle three cross-currents at once: a shutdown-delayed jobs report that’s reshaping rate expectations, fresh forecasts for a multi-year surge in chipmaking equipment spend, and a renewed debate over how profitable the AI buildout will be for every layer of the chip supply chain.
The result is a market that’s still treating “AI semiconductors” as the structural growth story—but pricing the winners and losers far more aggressively than it did earlier in 2025.
Semiconductor stocks today: a quick midday snapshot
As of the latest quotes around early afternoon in New York, the major U.S. semiconductor ETFs were modestly lower, signaling broad-based consolidation after a volatile stretch in mega-cap tech:
- iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX): about $294.55, down roughly 1.16%
- VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH): about $350.39, down roughly 0.71%
Inside the…