Donald Trump formally chose Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve after a 14‑month selection battle that began in November 2024. On December 10, hours after the Fed lowered rates by 0.25%, Warsh told Trump he would support further cuts, while a January 11 DOJ probe disclosure by Jerome Powell reshaped the field.

On January 31, 2026, Microsoft shares were trading in the low $420s after a sharp post‑earnings drop from levels above $450 brought price back toward the 200‑day moving average. The stock is testing a key support band around $423–$425 that aligns with an earlier upside gap, a prior low, and a Fibonacci retracement, while technical signals such as a recent death cross and double‑top pattern highlight downside risk. If this zone holds, price could rebound toward $450, but a breakdown may open the way for a move toward $400 even as most analysts maintain buy ratings with a significantly higher average target.

CME Group increased initial margin requirements on Comex metals after a severe selloff, setting gold at 8% and silver at 15%, effective from Monday's close. Gold futures fell 11.4% and silver futures dropped 31.4% on Friday, while risk-tiered margin levels for both metals also moved higher alongside planned increases for platinum and palladium.

On January 30, 2026, GameStop rose 5% after CEO Ryan Cohen said the company is pursuing a much larger public consumer acquisition he described as transformational. His equity award vests only if valuation reaches $100 billion and total EBITDA hits $10 billion. GameStop holds over $9 billion in cash and marketable securities, some in bitcoin.

Sandisk guided third‑quarter earnings to $12–$14 per share, far above a $4.95 expectation, sending the stock up as much as 25% on Friday before easing. Since its February 2025 IPO, shares have surged more than 1,600%, with analysts lifting targets on AI‑driven NAND demand as the stock trades around 15x expected earnings.

On Thursday, Microsoft shares slid 10%, erasing $357 billion in market value and closing with a $3.22 trillion market cap, down from just under $3.6 trillion. The selloff followed its earnings release, with Azure growth at 39% versus 39.4% expected and guidance for the More Personal Computing segment set at $12.6 billion.

On January 30, 2026, Donald Trump said he would announce the next Fed chair Friday and effectively pointed to Kevin Warsh, whom he considered eight years earlier. Warsh worked at Morgan Stanley (1995–2002), served in the White House (2002–2006), was the youngest Fed governor (2006–2011), criticized prolonged stimulus, and resigned in 2011.

Gold fell by $300 within a two‑hour window, sliding back under $5,200 an ounce and settling near $5,100 amid volatility comparable to 2008. Bitcoin declined more than 6% over 24 hours to about $80,477, erasing roughly $5 billion in open interest, while major altcoins dropped between 5% and 8% and memecoins plus AI tokens saw double‑digit losses.

On January 29, 2026, Visa posted Q1 FY2026 results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. GAAP net income rose 14% to $5.9 billion ($3.03 per share) and revenue increased 15% to $10.9 billion, while non-GAAP net income reached $6.1 billion ($3.17). The company also returned $5.1 billion via buybacks and dividends.