Intel's Dow status under threat as struggling chipmaker's shares plunge

Stock price is a key element for inclusion in the Dow, unlike the S&P 500 index which takes into account market value

Intel employs some 4,900 people in Ireland, making it one of the State’s largest employers.

Intel was one of the first two tech companies to join the Dow Jones Industrial Average during 1999's dot-com era, along with Microsoft. Now, a slump in its share price could cost the American chipmaker its place in the blue-chip index.

Analysts and investors said Intel was likely to be removed from the Dow, pointing to a near 60% decline in the company's shares this year that has made it the worst performer on the index and left it with the lowest stock price on the price-weighted Dow.