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Good morning investors! Crypto fell over the weekend as investors remain cautious.
Today we cover:
What to expect this week
Stock market performance in Trump’s second run
Will AI grow in 2026?
📊 Economy and News
What to Expect This Week
Here’s everything you need to keep an eye on this week:
nuary 25, 2026, was a Sunday, so the week starts Monday, January 26 (a federal holiday in some contexts like Australia Day, but U.S. markets are open unless noted otherwise).
Monday, January 26
Economic Data: Durable-goods orders (November).
Key Earnings: Nucor (NUE), Ryanair (RYAAY), Brown & Brown (BRO), W.R. Berkley (WRB), Steel Dynamics (STLD).
Focus: Early signals on manufacturing and industrial demand via durable goods and steel/auto-related reports.
Tuesday, January 27
Economic Data: Consumer confidence (January).
Key Earnings: UnitedHealth Group (UNH), RTX (RTX), Boeing (BA), Texas Instruments (TXN), NextEra Energy (NEE), Union Pacific (UNP), HCA Healthcare (HCA), Northrop Grumman (NOC), United Parcel Service (UPS), General Motors (GM).
Focus: Broader economic sentiment via consumer confidence. Heavy day for industrials (Boeing, GM), defense (RTX, Northrop), semiconductors (Texas Instruments), and healthcare/transport.
Wednesday, January 28
Economic Data: (Limited major releases; focus on Fed.)
Fed Event: FOMC interest rate decision + Fed Chair Jerome Powell press conference.
Key Earnings: Microsoft (MSFT), Meta Platforms (META), Tesla (TSLA), ASML Holdings (ASML), International Business Machines (IBM), GE Vernova (GEV), AT&T (T), ServiceNow (NOW), Progressive (PGR), Starbucks (SBUX).
Focus: The week's centerpiece. No rate cut is anticipated, but Powell's tone on inflation, labor market, and future policy will drive markets. Magnificent 7 earnings kick off with Microsoft (facing early-year share price pressure), Meta (AI strategy shift from metaverse), and Tesla (slowing deliveries, new growth avenues). Chip and telecom updates (ASML, AT&T) add tech depth.
Thursday, January 29
Economic Data: U.S. trade deficit (November); additional releases include wholesale inventories (November), factory orders (November), and initial jobless claims (week ending January 24).
Key Earnings: Apple (AAPL), Visa (V), Mastercard (MA), Caterpillar (CAT), SAP (SAP), Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO), Honeywell (HON), Lockheed Martin (LMT), Blackstone (BX).
Focus: Apple's report will highlight AI progress following its recent Alphabet partnership. Financials (Visa, Mastercard) and industrials (Caterpillar, Honeywell, Lockheed) provide manufacturing and spending insights. Trade and jobless claims offer labor/economy clues.
Friday, January 30
Economic Data: Producer price index (PPI, December).
Key Earnings: Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), American Express (AXP), Verizon (VZ), Colgate-Palmolive (CL).
Focus: Wrap-up with energy giants (Exxon, Chevron) amid oil market dynamics, telecom (Verizon), and consumer/finance (AmEx, Colgate). PPI provides final inflation read before the weekend.
Global hits:
Trump threatens new 100% tariffs on Canada over possible trade deal with China.
Japan PM vows to act against speculative market moves after yen spike.
China will set lower growth target as economy weakens.
Stocks Jump in Trump's Second Term But Fall Behind Others
The S&P 500 rose 13.3% from inauguration day to January 20, 2026, delivering good numbers but being the weakest first-year start for a new presidential term since George W. Bush's second term in 2005.
For context, the S&P 500 had posted stronger gains of 24.1% in the first year of Trump's initial term. The past year featured notable volatility, including a near-bear market dip in April amid tariff-related uncertainty, before a strong rebound and 39 record highs. International stocks outperformed U.S. equities in 2025, ending a long streak of U.S. dominance.
Reminder: Trump accounts get supercharged by employer matches — some companies offer up to $1,000.
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📈 Stocks
S&P 500 6,915.61 (+0.033%)
DJIA 49,098.71 (-0.57%)
NASDAQ 23,501.24 (+0.27%)
BRENT CRUDE 65.84 (+2.87%)
* Prices as of Jan 26th, 12:20 AM UTC
Will AI Investments Continue to Surge in 2026?
Analysts at Aubrey Capital Management note that while the latest earnings season fueled excitement around AI, it also raised concerns about margin pressures from massive infrastructure spending.
Previously cheered, AI capex now faces scrutiny—investors reward cash-funded investments (e.g., by hyperscalers like Microsoft and Alphabet) but penalize debt-heavy ones, as seen in Oracle's sharp drop after its OpenAI-related surge and data center expansion.
Despite this selectivity, strong operational results justify much of the spending: Microsoft and Alphabet reported double-digit cloud revenue growth, while Meta's advertising business rose 26%. Hyperscaler cash flows drive ~60% of AI expenditure.
The "Big Four" hyperscalers—Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon—are projected to spend over $480 billion on capex in 2026, representing about 60% of total industry AI investment, with potential for further increases.
This supports solid fundamentals into early next year, though questions linger on enterprise AI adoption speed and workforce replacement potential.
Look here: Intel's stock plunged over 16% on Friday after the company issued a weaker-than-expected outlook, citing industry-wide memory supply shortages and rising component prices driven by surging AI infrastructure demand. CFO David Zinsner highlighted that these pressures could limit revenue growth, particularly in the client market. In contrast, memory makers such as supplier Micron Technology have benefited significantly, with Micron shares up nearly 40% year-to-date (following a strong 2025) and analysts expecting tighter supply to support further price increases and gains for companies like Western Digital and others in the storage sector. This shift underscores how AI-related bottlenecks are reshaping winners in the tech rally.
Interesting: The head of Airbus has warned staff that the plane maker must be ready to adapt to unsettling new geopolitical risks after facing “significant” logistical and financial damage from U.S. protectionism and U.S.-China trade tensions last year.
Surprising: Flight disruptions from massive winter storm to continue on Monday. Elsewhere, Bill Gates has warned AI investors that not everyone will be a winner in what he calls a "hypercompetitive" market.
💵 Personal Finance
Why Health Insurance Became Even Less Affordable in 2026
Millions of Americans faced sharp rises in health insurance costs this year across employer plans, Obamacare (ACA) marketplaces, and Medicare—worsening the ongoing affordability crisis.
Employer-sponsored plans — Premiums are projected to climb 9%, the biggest jump in years, though employers may absorb some to ease the impact on workers.
ACA/Obamacare plans — Benchmark premiums surged 26% on average—one of the largest increases since the program began—driven by insurers' rate hikes. For subsidized enrollees, out-of-pocket costs spiked even more (around 114% on average) after enhanced federal subsidies expired at the end of 2025.
Medicare Part B — Premiums rose nearly 10% to $202.90 monthly (up $17.90), the biggest increase in four years and second-largest in dollar terms historically.
Key drivers behind the hikes:
Higher utilization — Post-pandemic, people are seeing doctors more often, seeking deferred care (often at advanced stages), accessing mental health services, telehealth, and easier clinic options.
Chronic diseases — Rising rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's drive up long-term costs; over 75% of adults have at least one chronic condition.
Hospital costs — Consolidation (hospitals owning more practices and facilities) leads to higher prices, facility fees, and strong negotiating leverage over insurers.
Pharmacy expenses — Blockbuster GLP-1 drugs (e.g., for obesity/diabetes) exploded in use, significantly boosting spending; expensive cancer and gene therapies add pressure.
Other factors — Insurers face scrutiny in Washington, with President Trump planning talks to push for lower premiums and congressional hearings criticizing profit padding, claim denials, and prior authorizations.
Insurers defend their role in coordinating care and meeting the 80% medical loss ratio requirement, while experts note limited incentives to curb costs in some employer arrangements. Overall, these trends reflect broader U.S. healthcare challenges: more intensive care needs, provider consolidation, and pricey innovations amid political debates on affordability.
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