Chapter 1: What recent decision did Trump make regarding Greenland tariffs?
Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Wall Street Lunch, our afternoon update on today's market action, news, and analysis. Good afternoon. Today is Wednesday, January 21st, and I'm your host, Kim Kahn. Our top story so far, President Donald Trump has backed off his threat to impose new tariffs in February after negotiations in Davos over Greenland.
And whether you call it another taco, Trump all his chickens out, or another example of the art of the deal, the markets are happy. Stocks are surging, treasury yields are falling, and the greenback is firming.
Trump posted that after a very productive meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Root, they had formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic region. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect February 1st, he added.
noting that additional talks are being held concerning the Golden Dome missile defense concept as it relates to Greenland. Earlier in his keynote, Trump said he didn't want to use force, adding, "...all I'm asking for is a piece of ice that can play a role in world protection."
Chapter 2: How are market reactions influenced by Trump's negotiations in Davos?
Also heard in Davos, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said AI has kicked off the largest infrastructure build-out in human history and warned that the world will need more energy, land, and skilled workers to keep up.
He also praised Anthropix Clawed as a coding tool, saying anyone who runs a software company should use it, and highlighted OpenAI's ChatGBT for its success in the consumer space, calling it easy to use and approachable.
Also on the AI front, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said the first high-profile AI models built by its Superintelligence Labs team were delivered this month and are already showing a lot of promise.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned that a proposed Trump plan to cap credit card interest rates at 10% would remove credit from 80% of Americans, adding that the people crying the most will not be the credit card companies, it will be the restaurants, retailers, travel companies, the schools, the municipalities.
And Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said Deutsche Bank's CEO personally called to distance the lender from a controversial note suggesting Europeans might sell U.S. assets, saying the bank doesn't stand by it. That's not something you see often. Deutsche Bank said analysts' reports don't necessarily represent the views of senior management, but did not confirm the disavowal.
Among active stocks, Netflix is down after inline guidance that failed to impress, though analysts are defending the stock. Wedbush blamed the underwhelming report for the weakness, saying investors have grown used to phenomenal results.
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Chapter 3: What impact does the cold weather have on natural gas prices?
Jefferies echoed the bullish stance, expecting Netflix to remain the dominant streaming player and grow free cash flow at about 15% a year over the next five years. And Morgan Stanley noted Netflix surpassed 325 million members in 2025, adding more than 25 million net new subscribers, more than any other major streaming service, despite already having the largest base.
Johnson & Johnson reported better than expected Q4 revenue, driven by its pharma and medtech divisions, but adjusted earnings for the quarter missed expectations. J&J also rolled out its 2026 outlook, guiding EPS of $11.53 on $100.5 billion in reported sales, both above forecasts.
And SanDisk is up again, extending a redonkulous six-month rally that has seen shares climb more than 1,000% as it pivots from general storage to a high-performance AI-focused brand. And in today's trading, U.S. natural gas futures continue their massive gains, now up more than 50% in two days, as freezing temperatures across much of the country drive heating demand.
Front month NYMEX natural gas for February delivery is up about 20%, hitting a fresh year-to-date high above $4.65 per million BTUs. Contracts are on track for their biggest weekly gain in more than 35 years. Cold weather has sent energy prices sharply higher worldwide, Japan's power prices have hit a three-month high, and European gas futures are up nearly 30% so far this month.
Chapter 4: What insights did NVIDIA's CEO share about AI and infrastructure?
Snow is also forecast this weekend in Texas, home to key gas production sites, raising the risk of temporary outages and lower exports.
That's all for today's Wall Street Lunch. Look for links for stories in the show notes section. Don't forget, these episodes will be up with transcriptions at SeekingAlpha.com. And make sure you're getting the most out of your portfolio with quant, news, and analysis by heading to SeekingAlpha.com.