Kim Kahn

Looking to the week ahead, the February jobs report is due Friday.

Economists expect non-farm payrolls rose by about 60,000, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.3%.

Wells Fargo economists say that while some stabilization in demand for workers is evident, a range of indicators, including jolts and the consumers' perceptions of job availability, still point to a gradual loosening in the labor market conditions rather than renewed acceleration in hiring.

The earnings calendar is thinning out, with 10 S&P 500 companies reporting this week.

Highlights include CrowdStrike on Tuesday, Broadcom on Wednesday, and Costco and Alibaba on Thursday.

Also in the news this weekend, OpenAI said it does not believe that rival Anthropic should be designated a supply chain risk by the U.S.

government, even as OpenAI announced its own agreement with the Pentagon to deploy advanced AI systems in classified environments.

On Friday, President Trump said government agencies should not use Anthropic amid a standoff between the company and the DoD over surveillance and the use of AI in fully autonomous weapons.

And Berkshire Hathaway reported another surge in its cash pile in Q4, even as operating earnings fell amid insurance headwinds in what was Warren Buffett's last quarter as CEO.

In his first annual letter to shareholders, CEO Greg Abel signaled a more cautious posture.

reining in growth in insurance underwriting to protect margins, and holding back on utility expansion to meet AI-related power demand unless returns are compelling for shareholders.

And for income investors, Allstate goes ex-dividend Monday, paying out on April 1st, yes, April Fool's Day.

LOM Research goes ex-dividend Wednesday, with an April 8th payout date.

And on Thursday, Cigna and Qualcomm go ex-dividend, Cigna pays out on March 19th, and Qualcomm pays out on March 26th.

Thanks for listening, and happy St.

David's Day.

Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Wall Street Lunch, our afternoon update on today's market action, news, and analysis.

Good afternoon.

Today is Thursday, January 29th, and I'm your host, Kim Kahn.

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