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Happy Wednesday. Or maybe not if you held US assets during yesterday’s selloff.
S&P 500 futures were little changed this morning. The three major indexes are emerging from their worst days in recent months.
Here are five important things investors need to know to start their trading day.
1. Red, white, blue
Traders work as the American flag is hoisted on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
US stocks tumbled yesterday following President Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on European countries that oppose US ownership of Greenland. Yesterday’s decline marked the worst day for the three major averages since October. S&P500 and Nasdaq Composite Entering negative territory for the year.
Here’s what you need to know:
There were some signs yesterday that traders were hedging risk. Tech stocks led the decline, with Wall Street’s Fear Gauge hitting its highest level in nearly two months. Tuesday’s trade became emblematic of the “Sell America” trade. The US dollar also fell in tandem with stocks, while US bond yields and gold rose. Traders feared that President Trump’s tariff announcements would cause global investors to abandon their investments in the United States. In fact, Danish pension operator Academia Carpension told CNBC yesterday that it would liquidate about $100 million in U.S. debt positions, citing concerns about the U.S. budget deficit. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters this morning that he was not concerned about the fund’s decision, saying “Denmark’s investment in U.S. Treasuries is as irrelevant as Denmark itself.” Actively promote the acquisition of Greenland. Asked yesterday how much effort he would go to to make Denmark part of the United States, the president said, “We’ll see.” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Freik Nielsen said the island needed to prepare for “anything” and did not rule out U.S. military action. Follow us here for live market updates.
2. Trump at Davos
Participants at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Chris J. Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Today, all eyes are on President Trump as he arrives in Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum. The president is making his first in-person visit to Davos since 2020 and is scheduled to address the summit at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Afterwards, President Trump is scheduled to interview CNBC’s Joe Kernen. Watch on CNBC TV or CNBC+.
Other attendees are also creating a corresponding buzz in the run-up to President Trump’s arrival in Switzerland. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told CNBC that he and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rachel Reeves said the United States remained its “closest ally” despite the trade tensions.
3. Technical issues
The Netflix logo is displayed on one of the company’s buildings in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles on December 2, 2025.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Netflix The company’s fourth-quarter results narrowly beat expectations in both areas, but the company’s stock fell 7% overnight as Wall Street compared the results to the streaming giant’s supposedly higher internal targets.
Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said yesterday that investors need to think of these goals as “long-term aspirations” rather than predictions. Peters also said the impact of mergers and acquisitions was not included. This is an important note given the streamer’s acquisition offer was accepted. warner bros discoverystreaming and movie studio assets.
In other financial news, united airlines Shares rose 3% after the airline said this year’s profits could reach record highs. United Airlines beat earnings per share estimates for the fourth quarter, and revenue was in line with Wall Street consensus estimates.
4. I would like some identification, please.
ServiceNow signed its latest artificial intelligence deal yesterday, signing a three-year agreement with OpenAI to use its models to provide AI agents to customers and GPT-5.2 on its enterprise platform.
Amit Zaveri, ServiceNow’s head of operations and products, said the combination of these technologies will create “faster time to value for customers” and a “more intuitive way to work with AI.” Neither ServiceNow nor OpenAI shared financial terms of the deal.
Speaking of OpenAI, the company announced yesterday that it is launching a predictive model for ChatGPT consumer plans that will help identify accounts operated by users under 18. This is the latest sign of OpenAI’s efforts to improve safety amid increased scrutiny of what minors can access through its platform.
5. Postcard from San Francisco
Shana Novak | Stone | Getty Images
At the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco last week, pharmaceutical investors and executives laid out plans for 2026. They discussed whether this year will be a turning point for initial public offerings (IPOs), but there were no splashy deal announcements during the event.
President Trump also made headlines, as CNBC’s Annika Kim Constantino reports. The pharmaceutical industry is considering how to deal with new pricing deals companies have struck with the White House to avoid tariffs. The pharmaceutical industry also faces approximately $300 billion in lost revenue from drug patent expirations.
daily dividend
CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Lisa Han, Lim Hui Jie, Tasmin Lockwood, Garrett Downs, Lillian Rizzo, Leslie Josephs, Holly Ellyatt, Samantha Subin, Ashley Caputo, Annika Kim Constantino, Spencer Kimball and Gabriel Cortez contributed to this report. Josephine Rozzelle edited this version.
