Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day:
1. Trade tailspin
2. Tariff tremor
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media as he departs the White House, in Washington, U.S., Jan. 31, 2025.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
Trump slapped 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% duties on imports from China. He put a 10% levy on Canadian oil. Trump said he imposed the tariffs to push the countries to curb the number of migrants coming into the U.S. and stop the flow of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl – though the president has long backed import controls as a purely economic tool. Canada quickly retaliated with 25% tariffs on $155 billion in U.S. goods, including beer, Kentucky bourbon and orange juice. Mexico said it also would respond in kind, and China said it would file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization. The trade war could widen: Trump also threatened tariffs on the European Union and United Kingdom.
3. The implications
The tariffs threaten to raise operating costs for a range of U.S. companies that operate in the integrated North American supply chain, and increase prices for consumers if businesses choose to pass on those costs. The potential goods affected touch many parts of everyday life: cars, gasoline, furniture, shoes, toys, beer, avocados and french fries, among others. The stock reactions to Trump’s move reflect some of the companies most vulnerable, as shares of General Motors, Ford, Chipotle and Modelo and Corona seller Constellation Brands dropped in premarket trading Monday.
4. The show must go on
The main gate at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, on Sept. 25, 2023.
Mario Anzuoni | Reuters
Even in a trade war, it’s a big week for earnings. More than one-fifth of the S&P 500 is set to post results. Companies reporting include Amazon, Alphabet, Eli Lilly and Ford. Wall Street could also hear more from key executives about how they expect tariffs and the rise of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek to affect their businesses. Here are the key companies reporting this week:
- Monday: Palantir Technologies (after the bell)
- Tuesday: PepsiCo, Merck, Pfizer (before the bell); Alphabet, AMD, Snap, Chipotle Mexican Grill (after the bell)
- Wednesday: Walt Disney, Uber (before the bell); Qualcomm, Ford (after the bell)
- Thursday: Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb, Peloton, Yum Brands (before the bell); Amazon, E.l.f. Beauty (after the bell)
5. Work is never done
More retirement age Americans are still working. The number of employed people 65 and older in the U.S. jumped more than 33% between 2015 and 2024, according to CNBC analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The group accounted for 7% of the total workforce in 2024, an increase from 5.7% a decade ago. An aging population, a labor shortage driven by the Covid pandemic and a shift toward 401(k) accounts instead of pensions, among other factors, has helped to drive the increase.
– CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Pia Singh, Tanaya Macheel, Katrina Bishop, Holly Ellyatt, Gregory Iacurci and Alex Harring contributed to this report.
