Intel Corp ( INTC ) shares are trading lower by 2% to $41.86 Tuesday afternoon. Shares of semiconductor stocks are trading lower amid this week's Fed meeting. Investors also assess weakness in SMCI as well as NVIDIA Corp's Monday GCT announcements.

Investors are closely watching the Federal Reserve’s FOMC meeting for any hints about future monetary policy decisions, particularly regarding interest rates. The “dot plot,” which outlines FOMC members’ anticipated interest rate trajectory, is of particular interest.

Any surprises or changes in the expected trajectory can prompt sharp movements in stock prices as investors adjust their expectations. In this case, recent inflation data surpassing expectations has led to scrutiny of previous plans for rate cuts in 2024 and 2025.

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What's Going On With The Fed?

Investors are eagerly awaiting the upcoming FOMC meeting, viewing it as a significant market event for the first quarter of 2024. While the interest rate decision is expected to remain steady, attention is particularly drawn to the "dot plot," which outlines the anticipated interest rate trajectory of FOMC members.

Previous plans for rate cuts in 2024 and 2025 are now under scrutiny due to recent inflation data surpassing expectations…

Is INTC A Good Stock To Buy?

An investor can make a few decisions when deciding whether a stock is a good buy. In addition to valuation metrics and price action which you can find on Benzinga's quote pages – like Intel ( INTC )‘s page for example – there are factors like whether or not a company pays a dividend or buys a large portion of its stock each quarter.

These are known as capital allocation programs. Intel ( INTC ) does pay a dividend, which yields 1.48% per year as of the closing price on Mar. 19, 2024. Feel free to search Benzinga's dividend calendar for the next company that is due to pay a dividend and determine what kind of yield you can earn for holding a share of the company.

For example, if you're looking to earn an annualized return of 7.47%, you'll need to buy a share of NewtekOne by the Mar. 28, 2024. Once done, you can expect to receive a nominal payout of $0.19 on Apr. 15, 2024.

Buyback programs are obviously different and highly variable. A company can approve a buyback program and purchase shares as it sees fit over the course of time in which the buyback was authorized. Looking through the latest news on Intel ( INTC ) will often yield whether or not the company has approved a buyback program recently. Buyback programs usually serve as a support for share prices, serving as a backstop for demand.

INTC has a 52-week high of $51.28 and a 52-week low of $26.86.