Dow Jones Today: Stock Futures Point Higher After Major Indexes Have Worst Day Since October; Gold Sets Latest Record

Jan 22, 2026
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Major stock indexes closed sharply higher Wednesday, a day after major equities indexes recorded their worst day in three months, as President Donald Trump appeared to rule out military force in Greenland and said he “will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st” on eight NATO allies.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average, and benchmark S&P 500 ended up about 1.2% apiece, with the Dow adding nearly 600 points, after Trump wrote on his Truth Social network that “based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.”

In a wide-ranging earlier address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump largely touted his economic record before bringing up Greenland, which he hopes to acquire, saying he “won’t use force” there. However, Trump called for negotiations for the U.S. to acquire the island, saying Denmark wasn’t prepared to defend it.

Yesterday, the Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow sank a respective 2.4%, 2.1%, and 1.8%—their worst day since Oct. 10—after Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on eight NATO allies for opposing his desired sale of Greenland to the U.S. 

Safe-haven gold futures rose to a fresh all-time high of nearly $4,900 an ounce early Wednesday and recently were up 0.9% on the day to about $4,810. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which impacts interest rates on a variety of consumer loans including mortgages, slipped to roughly 4.26% after closing at 4.30% Tuesday, its highest closing level since Aug. 21.

Bitcoin was trading around $89,800, slightly higher on the day. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of global currencies, was up 0.2% to 98.82. West Texas Intermediate crude futures, the U.S. benchmark, was up 0.5% at $60.65 a barrel. 

Chipmakers Intel (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) were among the top advancers in the S&P 500, with shares up more than 11% and 7.5%, respectively. Shares of all the Magnificent Seven tech firms ended higher except for Microsoft (MSFT).

Kraft Heinz (KHC) was among the biggest decliners in the benchmark index, falling roughly 5.5% after the food giant revealed in a regulatory filing that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) may sell up to 325 million shares of its stock.

In post-earnings moves, shares of Netflix (NFLX) fell nearly 2%, while those of United Airlines (UAL) rose more than 2%. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) stock closed slightly lower.

January 21, 2026 06:13 PM EST

Natural Gas Prices Surge 60% in Two Days

FROM 1 hr 9 min ago

U.S. natural gas prices soared for a second straight day Wednesday as brutal Arctic cold bears down on much of the country.

Fortunately for consumers, those higher prices won’t impact their heating bills right away.

Futures contracts based on benchmark Henry Hub natural gas surged 29% Wednesday. So far this holiday-shortened week, U.S. natural gas prices have risen about 60%, the biggest two-day gain on record.

Almost half of American households use natural gas as their primary heating source. This week’s price rally reflects expected high demand for the fuel as sub-freezing temperatures loom to the end of January in a good portion of the U.S.

Read the full article here.

Lyle Niedens

January 21, 2026 04:02 PM EST

Warren Buffett Compares AI to Nuclear Weapons—’The Genie Is Out,’ He Warns

FROM 3 hr 20 min ago

Warren Buffett recently watched an AI-generated video of himself, and it was so realistic that it could fool members of his own family. The experience prompted him to compare the technology to nuclear weapons—powerful, irreversible, and impossible to control.

“How do you put the genie back in the bottle?” Buffett said during a two-hour special on CNBC that aired Jan. 13, 2026. “That’s the same problem we have with nuclear weapons.”

Buffett has made clear his distaste for many uses of AI ever since deepfakes started appearing of him pushing dubious products appeared online.

Andrew Harrer / Getty Images 

AI, he now believes, is no longer just a tool or an investment trend—it’s a permanent and unpredictable force.

Read the full article here.

Daniel Liberto

January 21, 2026 03:38 PM EST

What the Fed’s Favorite Inflation Gauge Could Reveal on Thursday

FROM 3 hr 44 min ago

We’re finally about to learn how much consumer prices rose back in the fall, according to the Federal Reserve’s favorite measure of inflation.

A report Thursday from the Bureau of Economic Analysis will likely show core consumer prices excluding food and energy, as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, rose 2.8% over the 12 months through November, according to a consensus estimate cited by Wells Fargo Securities.

The latest inflation data comes less than a week before the Fed meets to determine whether it should adjust its key interest rate.

Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images

Read the full article here.

Diccon Hyatt

January 21, 2026 03:10 PM EST

Gold Came as Close as It’s Ever Been to $5,000 Today. Why—and What’s Next?

FROM 4 hr 12 min ago

There’s nothing like a potential crisis to brighten the shine on gold.

Spot gold prices rallied to fresh highs on Wednesday, coming within dollars of $4,900 per ounce and leading investors and media to wonder when we might touch $5,000 for the first time. While U.S. stocks shook off Tuesday’s scare as affairs involving U.S. President Donald Trump, his European counterparts, and Greenland seemed to cool—Liberation Day déjà vu still drove investors to assets that hedge geopolitical uncertainty.

Can gold deliver another year of outsize returns? Only time will tell.

Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Gold, which recently traded closer to $4,800, also cooled a bit as market tensions receded. Silver, another precious metal that has been strong lately, was also recently lower.

Read the full story here.

Crystal Kim

January 21, 2026 03:02 PM EST

Americans Have Paid for 96% of Tariff Costs, Study Finds

FROM 4 hr 20 min ago

Americans are paying nearly all of the cost of President Donald Trump’s import taxes, another analysis has found, contradicting his claims that foreigners are footing the bill.

American businesses and consumers are paying 96% of the cost of Trump’s sweeping tariffs, according to a study released Monday by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank.1 Researchers at the institute analyzed 25 million transactions valued at almost $4 trillion to reach their conclusions.

“The tariff functions not as a tax on foreign producers, but as a consumption tax on Americans,” wrote the researchers, led by Julian Hinz, a professor at Bielefeld University. “Every dollar of tariff revenue represents a dollar extracted from American businesses and households.”

Americans are paying for most of the cost of tariffs, according to a recent study.

Elizabeth Guevara / Investopedia

Read the full story here.

Diccon Hyatt

January 21, 2026 02:47 PM EST

Home Sellers Now Outnumber Buyers by 47%: What It Means for Prices

FROM 4 hr 35 min ago

Buyers have more power in many U.S. housing markets, even as prices hold firm.

There were 631,535 more home sellers than buyers in December, according to Redfin data, creating a staggering 47% gap. That’s the widest margin recorded since Redfin began tracking it in 2013, and an increase of more than 22 percentage points from a year ago.

More sellers in the market mean more options for buyers, as housing supply outpaces demand. However, the growing imbalance comes as housing remains unaffordable for many people, thanks in part to mortgage rates that hovered above 6% throughout 2025.

Home sellers outnumbered buyers in December by a large margin.

Eric Thayer / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Despite the significant gap between sellers and buyers, home prices continue to climb. Existing-home prices rose for the 30th consecutive month in December, reaching a median of $405,400, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.

“A lot of sellers are in denial and won’t budge on price,” said Dallas-based Redfin Premier real estate agent Connie Durnal in a prepared statement. “If you don’t price your home reasonably, it will sit on the market.”

Read the full article here.

Terry Lane

January 21, 2026 02:12 PM EST

Investors Are Buying the Dip—And Looking Beyond Magnificent 7 Stocks

FROM 5 hr 10 min ago

Yesterday’s sell-off struck many Wall Street strategists as a good buying opportunity, and investors appeared to agree. 

Stocks rose on Wednesday after President Trump said he would not use force to acquire Greenland, helping to ease concerns that yesterday drove stocks to their worst day in months. (Follow Investopedia‘s live markets coverage here.)

Stocks rebounded from Tuesday’s sell-off after President Trump said he would not use force to acquire Greenland.

Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

Many on Wall Street have taken this week’s volatility as an opportunity to buy stocks on sale. “The long-term trends around innovation, and in particular the building of artificial intelligence and the application of artificial intelligence, are squarely intact,” said Jonathan Curtis, chief investment officer of Franklin Equity, during an appearance on CNBC Tuesday night. “And quite frankly I still think markets are under-appreciating what lies ahead. So this volatility is good for us.”

Read the full article here.

Colin Laidley

January 21, 2026 01:38 PM EST

Nearly 60% of People Skip or Delay Medical Treatment Due to High Costs—Here’s What to Do Instead

FROM 5 hr 44 min ago

If you’ve ever been in the position of having to delay or skip medical care because you can’t afford it, you’re not alone.

A recent survey of 500 people by Alphaeon Credit—a medical financing provider—found that nearly 60% of people reported postponing or avoiding medical care due to cost.

A majority of people surveyed have postponed or skipped medical care due to cost, a survey shows.

Thomas Barwick / Getty Images

To avoid neglecting necessary medical care or forgoing it all together, try these steps:

Read the full article here.

Trina Paul

January 21, 2026 12:57 PM EST

Yellowfin Tuna Can Recall: Check Your Supermarket Shelves In These States

FROM 6 hr 25 min ago

Fish around for a safe can of tuna next time you’re at the grocery store.

Health officials are advising consumers to avoid certain cans of Tri-Union Seafoods’ Genova yellowfin tuna. The cans, initially recalled over botulism concerns last February, were accidentally sent to stores by a distributor, according to a release the company posted on the Food & Drug Administration’s website this week.

Genova yellowfin tuna cans have been recalled.

NazariyKarkhut via iStock / Getty Images Plus

Tri-Union Seafoods, a manufacturer and distributor, said the quarantined cans were sent to Meijer stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin; Giant Foods locations in Maryland and Virginia; and Albertsons (ACI), Safeway, Vons and Pavilions shops in California.

The company through a spokesperson on Wednesday told Investopedia there have been “no confirmed reports” of illness in connection with the cans. “Tri-Union Seafoods is committed to upholding the highest safety and quality standards,” it said in a statement issued as part of the 2025 recall.

Read the full article here.

Sarina Trangle

January 21, 2026 12:47 PM EST

Typical IRA Balance for Individuals in Their 50s by 2026—Key Facts You Should Know

FROM 6 hr 35 min ago

Fidelity’s latest analysis of 18.3 million individual retirement accounts (IRAs) shows the average balance hit a record of $137,902 in the third quarter of 2025.

For Gen X savers (ages 45 to 60), that figure sits at $120,273, an average that’s inflated by people who’ve saved far more.

Financial planners suggest having 3.5 to 5.5 times your annual salary saved by age 50, though many Americans fall short of this benchmark.

PixeloneStocker / Getty Images

The median tells a different story. Transamerica data on Americans in their 50s suggests middle-income Americans have about $112,000 across all their accounts, a figure below Fidelity’s IRA-only average.

Read the full article here.

Dara-Abasi Ita

January 21, 2026 12:22 PM EST

Everything You Need to Know for the 2026 Tax Filing Season

FROM 7 hours ago

The 2026 tax filing season starts next week. Here are the key dates you need to know.

During this filing season, taxpayers will need to use the newly created Schedule 1-A to take advantage of the new tax deductions and credits created by the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill‘, such as the no-tax-on-tips deduction or an additional deduction for seniors.

Investopedia / Photo Composite by Elizabeth Guevara / Getty Images

The IRS is already accepting tax returns through the IRS Free File program, and the online guided tax software is available to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $89,000 or less.3 Once taxpayers receive the necessary tax forms, such as their 2025 W-2, they can submit their tax return to the IRS, and it will be held until the IRS officially begins processing returns next week.

Read the full article here.

Elizabeth Guevara

January 21, 2026 12:11 PM EST

Netflix Stock Hasn’t Impressed Investors Lately. Its Deal for Warner Bros. Isn’t Helping

FROM 7 hr 11 min ago

Investors are scrutinizing Netflix’s results more closely than ever. They don’t like what they see.

The streaming giant’s stock was down nearly 5% in recent trading, sliding after reporting earnings that narrowly topped analysts’ estimates, as Netflix (NFLX) failed to impress investors with its outlook amid concerns around its efforts to buy Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

Netflix shares have been pressured in recent months.

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / Getty Images

The move lower extends a monthslong decline for the entertainment stock, with Wednesday’s losses leaving Netflix shares down nearly 40% from last summer’s highs. Uncertainty around Netflix’s pending purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, which faces likely regulatory scrutiny as well as a competing bid that has forced the company to rework its offer, has added to the pressure on the stock.

Read the full article here.

Aaron McDade

January 21, 2026 11:36 AM EST

Energy Is Top-Performing S&P 500 Sector Wednesday

FROM 7 hr 46 min ago

On a day when nearly every S&P 500 sector is in the green, none is performing better than Energy.

The S&P 500 Energy Sector was up 2.3% in recent trading, the best performance of the 11 industries tracked by the benchmark index.

Nine sectors are in positive territory Wednesday, with only Consumer Staples (down 0.5%) and Utilities (down 0.1%) in the red.

EQT (EQT), Texas Pacific Land Trust (TPL), and Expand Energy (EXE) were the top individual performers in the sector, up 6.8%, 5%, and 4.6%, respectively.

Energy shares led market gains Wednesday.

Mark Felix / Bloomberg via Getty Images

January 21, 2026 11:02 AM EST

Is 2026 the Right Year to Buy a House? Key Market Trends You Need to Know

FROM 8 hr 20 min ago

Home sales remained near historic lows in 2025, as high housing costs and elevated mortgage rates continued to keep buyers on the sidelines. But housing affordability is expected to improve in 2026—if only slightly.

That could create an opportunity for house hunters who have been looking for the right moment to enter the market. Here are some housing trends to watch if you’re in the market to buy a home in 2026.

Several key 2026 real estate trends will have a big influence on home ownership in America.

Thomas Barwick / Getty Images

Mortgage rates peaked at more than 7% in early 2025 and then eased in the second half of the year to around 6.2%. That offered some relief from the high borrowing costs that have helped freeze the housing market.

Read the full article here.

Terry Lane

January 21, 2026 10:44 AM EST

This Stock Has Had the Best 2026 in the S&P 500. It Just Got Another Boost.

FROM 8 hr 38 min ago

The hottest tech stock in the S&P 500 this year got even hotter today, marking continued enthusiasm for a pocket of the AI trade even as U.S. markets sputtered to start the trading week.

Shares of Sandisk (SNDK) hit a new intraday record high Wednesday, pushing its year-to-date returns to about 100%—outperforming the so-called Magnificent 7, as well as the broader market, by a wide margin. Today’s 5% gain follows yesterday’s of nearly 10%, best in the S&P 500, on a day when markets broadly, including tech shares, retreated amid trade and geopolitical uncertainty and a move toward haven assets.

Shares of SanDisk have roughly doubled this year already.

Thomas Fuller / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

Yesterday’s lift came after Citi boosted its earnings estimates and target prices for Sandisk, as well as other data storage stocks that have been on a tear lately. They remain key beneficiaries, the analysts wrote, of “solid hyperscaler demand supporting higher pricing” for memory, the bank’s research analysts said in a 2026 outlook report for tech hardware companies published yesterday.

Citi analysts including Asiya Merchant said that Sandisk “sounded the most constructive” among the companies it hosted at company meetings at CES 2026 earlier this month on NAND (a type of flash memory) industry fundamentals.1 Sandisk told Citi there was upside in demand associated with data centers, including from Nvidia’s (NVDA) just-launched Vera Rubin AI computing platform. That would more than offset any impact to its business from lower demand related to PCs or smartphones, according to the Citi report.

Read the full article here.

Crystal Kim

January 21, 2026 10:20 AM EST

Here’s How Much Traders Expect Intel Stock to Move After Earnings This Week

FROM 9 hr 2 min ago

Intel is set to report fourth-quarter earnings after the market closes on Thursday, with traders anticipating a big move from the chipmaker’s stock following the results.1

Options pricing suggests traders expect Intel (INTC) stock could move up to 8% in either direction by the end of the week. At the high end, a move of that size from Tuesday’s close near $49 could push the stock up to $52, its highest point since early 2022. At the low end, the stock could drop to around $44, about where it was early last week, before an upgrade by KeyBanc analysts sent the stock higher.

Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP / Getty Images

Intel’s stock is up some 27% since the struggling chipmaker last reported earnings in October, with results that came in stronger than analysts expected. Rumors about potential new customers, along with a show of support from the Trump administration after the U.S. government took a big stake in August, have also boosted optimism about the chipmaker’s stock.

Read the full article here.

Aaron McDade

January 21, 2026 09:21 AM EST

Whatever Comes Next With Greenland, The Uncertainty Poses Economic Risks

FROM 10 hr 1 min ago

The uncertainty that roiled the economy and undermined the job market in 2025 flared up again this weekend after President Donald Trump renewed his threats to seize Greenland from U.S. ally Denmark.

Trump stoked a fresh round of unease Saturday when he threatened to impose a 10% tariff against eight European countries, escalating to 25% in June, until Denmark sells the autonomous territory to the U.S.

European leaders are reportedly considering retaliatory moves, and French President Emanuel Macron proposed invoking the European Union’s “anti-coercion” instrument. Those countermeasures, sometimes called a “trade bazooka,” could include restricting imports and exports, restricting access to financial markets, and imposing a wide range of other punishments.

January 21, 2026 08:51 AM EST

Why This Wall Street Strategist Was ‘Inclined to Buy’ as Greenland Tensions Battered Stocks Yesterday

FROM 10 hr 31 min ago

Stocks posted their worst day in months on Tuesday. Some strategists say it’s an opportunity. 

“I think at worst maybe you get a 4-5% drawdown here—call it 6,500 on the S&P. I’m inclined to buy it because I think the set-up into this was quite good,” Chris Verrone, chief market strategist at Strategas, told CNBC on Tuesday.

The S&P 500 fell 2.1% Tuesday to about 6,800 as investors responded to President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on select European countries if they refuse to allow the U.S. to acquire Greenland. 

Markets were rattled on Tuesday as President Trump ramped up efforts to force the U.S. acquisition of Greenland.

Michael Nagle / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Verrone said signs of “a pro-cyclical recovery… through all different asset classes—bond yields, commodities, transports, retail, banks,” underpinned his bullish outlook. The pullback to start this week, he said, could even help to cool sentiment that Verrone said “was getting a little too hot” and posing a risk to the stock market. 

As with last year’s bouts of Trump-driven volatility, “the bark will be worse than the bite on this issue,” wrote Wedbush analyst Dan Ives of Trump’s new tariff threats.

Read the full article here.

Colin Laidley

January 21, 2026 08:33 AM EST

United Airlines Made $3.4B in 2025 But Lost Money Flying Passengers

FROM 10 hr 49 min ago

It does not appear likely that any of the four biggest U.S. airlines—Delta Air Lines (DAL), United Airlines (UAL), American Airlines (AAL), and Southwest Airlines (LUV)—will have made money actually transporting passengers last year.

United announced its fiscal fourth-quarter results after the bell Tuesday, and reported it made $3.4 billion in 2025 profit. However, it posted higher cost per available seat mile (CASM), 16.46 cents, than passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM), 16.18 cents.

United made $3.4 billion in 2025 profit, but lost money actually flying passengers.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Last week, Delta also registered higher CASM (19.31 cents) than PRASM (17.37). American and Southwest report Q4 figures next week, and both were significantly to the bad side of the ratio through the first three quarters. (The main reason airlines can turn a profit boils down to something in your pocket, not your luggage: credit cards.)

United’s Q4 profit and revenue topped analysts’ estimates, and shares are up 3% before the bell after it issued a rosy outlook.

“Strong revenue momentum has continued into 2026,” United said. “The week ending January 4th was the highest flown revenue week in United history, and the week ending January 11th was the highest ticketing week and the highest week for business sales in United history.”

January 21, 2026 07:36 AM EST

Kraft Heinz Stock Drops as Berkshire May Sell Its 325M Shares

FROM 11 hr 46 min ago

Warren Buffett was “disappointed” Kraft Heinz (KHC) planned to split into two. His successor as Berkshire Hathaway CEO may exit the stock entirely.

Kraft Heinz shares dropped 5.5% in premarket trading Wednesday, a day after the food giant revealed in a regulatory filing that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) may sell “up to an aggregate of 325,442,152 shares of the Company’s common stock.”

Berkshire had lowered the book value of its Kraft Heinz stake by about $3.8 billion after taxes in the second quarter, and owned 27.5% of the company’s outstanding common stock as of Sept. 30, 2025. Buffett, who stepped down as CEO of the conglomerate at the end of the year, told CNBC in early September that he was “disappointed” in Kraft Heinz’s planned split, and that Greg Abel, who took over as Berkshire Hathaway’s chief executive, expressed that to Kraft Heinz.

Shares of Kraft Heinz entered Wednesday down nearly 20% over the past year.

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January 21, 2026 06:49 AM EST

Treasury Yields Soared Yesterday. Why That Could Be a Big Problem

FROM 12 hr 33 min ago

The bond market, which has made President Donald Trump rethink policy before, is protesting again and sending borrowing costs higher.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note—a key input into mortgage rates and business investment decisions—rose to its highest level in months on Tuesday. The jump followed Trump’s demand that the United States should be allowed to buy Greenland, risking a trade war with the European Union.

“Investors are concerned that the threat of a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne could be the beginning of a further escalation in the trade tensions that many had hoped to leave behind in 2025,” Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rates strategy at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note to clients.

The 10-year yield jumped to 4.30% yesterday, its highest closing level since Aug. 21.

Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images

The 10-year yield jumped to 4.30% yesterday, its highest closing level since Aug. 21. Yields move in the opposite direction from bond prices. The 10-year yield ticked lower to below 4.29% early Wednesday.

Read the full article here.

Polo Rocha

January 21, 2026 06:29 AM EST

Stock Futures Point Higher After Major Indexes Have Worst Day Since October

FROM 12 hr 53 min ago

Futures contracts connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average pointed up 0.1%.

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S&P 500 futures were 0.2% higher.

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Nasdaq 100 futures were up less than 0.1%.

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