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Nvidia and AMD expected to generate buzz at CES this week. (0:17) Versant Media to start trading. (1:59) Oil in focus with U.S. to ‘run’ Venezuela. (2:34)
The following is an abridged transcript:
CES, the largest consumer tech show in the world, kicks off this week — and the halls will be echoing with talk of AI, GPUs, datacenters and chips.
Wedbush says Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD) are likely to drive some of the biggest headlines.
For Nvidia and “the Godfather,” CEO Jensen Huang, analysts expect him to lay out the next phase of the company’s AI strategy as enterprise use cases multiply across industries. Wedbush thinks he’ll focus heavily on datacenters, “physical AI,” and robotics, plus updates on the Cosmos foundation model platform and autonomous tech for 2026.
Huang will appear at a company event on Jan. 5, then again on Jan. 6 alongside Siemens (SIEGY) CEO Roland Busch to talk about the industrial AI revolution. He’s also due to appear at Lenovo TechWorld on January 6.
In concert, AMD CEO Lisa Su will deliver the opening CES keynote, which Wedbush calls “very important.” She’s expected to announce significant updates to the Ryzen CPU line, and AMD will host its own AMD Connect showcase with news on AI PCs, gaming, datacenters, and edge AI, plus an AMD Advancing Automotive event focused on in-car and automotive computing.
Looking to the economy, the December jobs report hits on Friday, wrapping up what’s shaping up to be the weakest year for the labor market since 2009.
Consensus is for nonfarm payrolls to rise by 55,000, the unemployment rate to edge down to 4.5%, and average hourly earnings up 0.3%.
A softer payrolls print could increase the odds of a near-term Fed rate cut — markets currently see roughly a 50/50 chance of a cut in March.
Bloomberg economists expect the decoupling between GDP and labor metrics to persist through 2026, with inflation easing and the Fed ultimately cutting rates by about 100 basis points.
Also this week, Versant Media Group (VSNT) begins trading Monday following its tax-free pro rata spinoff from Comcast (CMCSA).
Versant is a hybrid cable–digital media company anchored by networks like CNBC, USA, E!, SYFY, Oxygen and Golf Channel, plus a digital portfolio that includes Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, Peacock-adjacent news offerings, GolfPass/GolfNow, and youth sports platform SportsEngine.
CEO Mark Lazarus told investors Versant has a mandate to “build beyond cable — in fact, beyond media” as it positions itself to transform and grow as a standalone company.
In the news this weekend, focus is squarely on the U.S. move to enact regime change in Venezuela.
After a pre-dawn strike on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced the capture of Nicolás Maduro and said the U.S. will “run” the South American country until a proper leadership transition takes place.
Trump also said U.S. oil majors will invest billions in Venezuela’s petroleum infrastructure, although the companies themselves haven’t laid out explicit investment plans.
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven crude reserves — more than 303B barrels, according to OPEC’s 2025 statistical bulletin. Oil futures start trading at 6 p.m. ET on the CME.
And for income investors, J.P. Morgan (JPM), Dollar General (DG) and Match Group (MTCH) go ex-dividend Tuesday.
JPM pays out on Jan. 31, Dollar General on Jan. 20, and Match Group on Jan. 21.
Gap (GPS) and Edison (EIX) go ex-dividend Wednesday. Gap pays on Jan. 28, while Edison has a Jan. 31 payout.
On Friday, General Mills (GIS), Marvell (MRVL), Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Toll Bros. (TOL) go ex-dividend.
General Mills and Darden both pay out on Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day; Marvell (chips, not X-Men) pays out on Jan. 29, and Toll Bros. on Jan. 23.