🔥 Market Watch: Fed Chair Nomination & Tech's Fire & Ice | Jan 30, 2026

A massive Friday is here, packed with a historic policy announcement, explosive corporate rumors, and the stunning conclusion of a tech earnings season defined by polar opposites.

🏛️ Macro & Policy: The Biggest Job on Wall Street

• The Fed Chair Decision: Tonight, President Trump is set to announce his nominee for Federal Reserve Chair. He has reiterated his demand for interest rates to be “2-3% lower,” setting the stage for a potential major shift in U.S. monetary policy philosophy.
• Geopolitics & Commodities: A U.S. government shutdown was averted, removing a near-term risk. However, escalating tensions with Iran are pushing crude oil prices higher, while gold has rebounded from its recent lows.

🚀 Hot Company Rumors & Moves

SpaceX Merger Speculation: Bloomberg reports that SpaceX is considering a merger with either $Tesla(TSLA.US) or xAI. The news sent Tesla shares up >3% in after-hours trading, fueling speculation about the creation of an unprecedented “Musk ecosystem” conglomerate.

💻 Tech Earnings: The Grand Finale - Fire & Ice

This earnings season ends with a spectacular display of market judgment:

• The ICE: $Microsoft(MSFT.US) in the Cold: Shares slumped ~10% post-earnings as investors continue to punish its massive AI spending plans, despite strong results.
• The FIRE: $Meta Platforms(META.US) & $Sandisk(SNDK.US) on Fire: Meta stock surged >10% on strong results and AI outlook. SanDisk exploded nearly 14% AH on an “explosive” earnings report, joining Seagate in the AI storage winner's circle.
• $Apple(AAPL.US)‘s Record Quarter: Posted record Fiscal Q1 revenue, beating estimates and seeing shares rise >3% after-hours.
• $Western Digital(WDC.US) Mixed Reaction: Reported strong Fiscal Q2 revenue of $3.03B (+31% QoQ) but shares dipped slightly, as sky-high expectations were perhaps too elevated.

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