The week of July 20 brings an avalanche of marquee earnings reports and with the artificial intelligence (AI) trade experiencing significant retrenchment, semiconductor stocks are under duress. That could put added focus on Intel (INTC), which reports quarterly results on Thursday, July 23.
Intel’s upcoming earnings update could be an ideal time for risk-aware, short-term traders to consider the Direxion Daily INTC Bull 2X ETF (LINT). A member of Direxion’s single-stock ETF lineup, LINT attempts to deliver 200% of the daily returns of Intel stock. Analysts expect the semiconductor giant to post second-quarter earnings per share of 21 cents on sales of $14.4 billion.
For tactical traders, Intel’s earnings drop could be the perfect backdrop to deploy LINT. Options market indicators imply that Intel stock could move by up to 15% following the report, which would leave plenty of room for short-term plays.
“The higher implied volatility reflects uncertainty around Intel’s outlook, manufacturing progress and ability to benefit from growing AI demand. The stock has climbed more than 160% this year, although it has fallen 17% over the past month during a broader technology selloff. That strong advance leaves less room for disappointment,” reported GuruFocus.
LINT Could Shine
Several catalysts could swing shares of Intel and LINT following the earnings report, including commentary on the company’s custom ASIC efforts. Intel has earned some kudos for these efforts, but some investors have noted that the company is a late arrival to the GPU training space, meaning there’s little margin for error here.
Commentary on manufacturing capacity, particularly around the 18A node, also has the potential to move the stock and LINT because one of the takeaways from Intel’s first-quarter earnings report is that the company isn’t confounded by demand issues, but rather by supply issues.
“This signals that Intel’s revenue trajectory is capped by manufacturing capacity, not demand. The forecasted 34.5% gross margin, down sequentially from Q4’s 37.9%, reflects increased 18A volumes at low initial yields and product mix shift toward externally-sourced client wafers,” noted EveryTicker. “Margin pressure will likely persist until 18A yields improve and supply constraints ease in Q2 2026.”
Working past supply constraints is pivotal because those issues are capping revenue. If Intel can show signs of progress on that front, the stock could notch a near-term rebound, potentially sending LINT higher.
As EveryTicker pointed out, another issue to monitor is Intel’s cash burn rate, which underscores the capital intensity of the foundry model. If Intel can show it’s improving on the -$1.6 billion burn rate, the stock and LINT could benefit.
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