- The Peel
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- Tariffs Rise on Korea
Tariffs Rise on Korea
Trump raised tariffs on Korean goods to 25%.
Ankit Sinha
January 27, 2026
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šÆ In this issue:
Banana Bits: Finance headlines that actually matter
Market Summary: Equity gains were overshadowed by volatility in energy and commodity markets.
Whatās Ripe / Rotten: The tastiest and most disgusting stocks today
Technical Trip: Interview Q&A from Ares
Lesson from the Library: Master dashboards, visuals, and insights that make your data actually talk.
Deal Deep Dive: M&A, IPO, and transaction breakdowns
The Daily Poll: See how you stack up
Market Snapshot
š Banana Bits
Nike cut 775 jobs as it leans harder into automation.
Cr*pto is losing its safe-haven appeal as retail money rushes into gold.
Maia 200 is Microsoftās latest move to cut reliance on Nvidia.
JPMorgan and Goldman see U.S. earnings strength spreading beyond Big Tech.
The Fed is expected to hold rates as pressure builds around Powell.
TikTok content removals jumped 150% after its U.S. joint venture launch.
Market News
Equity Gains Were Overshadowed by Volatility in Energy and Commodity
Energy and commodities stole the spotlight for Tuesday Trading despite equities wavering on a better path after days of decline.
Gold topped $5,000, and natural gas jumped almost 30% as cold weather gripped much of the U.S. S&P 500 extended its January advance ahead of high-stakes megacap results.
With the Federal Reserve expected to pause its rate cuts, Treasuries remained in a narrow range. The Greenback, on the other hand, fell to its lowest level since 2022 after speculation that the U.S. could coordinate an intervention with Japan to support the yen.
The S&P 500 rose 0.5%. The yield on 10-year Treasuries slid one basis point to 4.21%. B*tcoin jumped. The dollar fell 0.4%. The yen climbed 1%.
As the earnings approach, investors appear a little more willing at the start of the year to rebalance at least some of their positioning away from the AI trade, and toward asset categories, sectors, industries, and companies that are more exposed to the ārealā economy.
This shift comes after Big Tech has led the stock market higher for much of the past three years.
But that reversed at the end of 2025 as Wall Street grew skeptical of the billions of dollars the companies are spending to develop AI and of when those investments will materialize.
What's Ripe
USA Rare Earth Inc. (USAR) 7.9%
USAR jumped 7.9% to $26.72. The company has signed a letter of intent with the U.S. government to invest $1.6 billion in the mining company.
The deal is nonbinding and includes roughly $300 million in federal funding and a $1.3 billion loan.
CoreWeave Inc. (CRWV) 5.7%
CRWV climbed 5.7%. The AI cloud company unveiled an expanded partnership with Nvidia, which includes a $2 billion investment from the chip maker.
What's Rotten
Revolution Medicines Inc. (RVMD) 16.9%
RVMD declined 17%. Merck is no longer in talks to buy the cancer-drug biotech, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Merck and Revolution Medicines didnāt immediately respond to requests for comment from Barronās.
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. (BAH) 8.1%
BAH dropped 8.1% after the Treasury Department announced it was canceling all federal contracts, valued at $21 million, with the consulting company over leaked tax returns.
š§ Technical Trip
Interview Q&A from Ares
š Want 1-on-1 recruiting help from Ares bankers & 2,000+ top mentors? Apply to WSO Academy
š Lesson from the Library
š„ Power BI: Turning Data Into Decisions
Master dashboards, visuals, and insights that make your data actually talk.
š Check out the course
š Student Spotlight
A+ Equity Research Report š
Looking for a stellar example of what makes an equity research report stand out?
One of our WSO Academy students, Cal Stewartson, put together an impressive deep dive on The Boeing Company, covering valuation, catalysts, and key risks with the kind of insight that turns good pitches into great ones.
š¦ Deal Dispatch
M&A, IPOs, And Other Notable Transactions
SoftBank paused talks to buy data-center firm Switch, denting Sonās Stargate plans.
Micron will invest $24B to expand its manufacturing footprint in Singapore.
Anta Sports became Pumaās top shareholder with a $1.8B stake.
Jennifer Garnerās snack company is eyeing an IPO, hoping to dodge the Hollywood curse.
NVIDIA invested $2B in CoreWeave to accelerate data-center expansion.
Data-center power supplier Forgent is targeting up to a $1.6B IPO.
IonQ agreed to buy chipmaker SkyWater for $1.8B.
šThe Daily Poll
Why is the Fed expected to hold rates despite political pressure? |
Previous Poll:
What would a 100% tariff threat on Canada aim to achieve?
China deterrence: 30.1% // Trade leverage: 14.5% // Political signaling: 22.9% // Negotiation pressure: 32.5%
Banana Brain Teaser
Previous
Coins are to be put into 7 pockets so that each pocket contains at least one coin. At most 3 of the pockets are to contain the same number of coins, and no two of the remaining pockets are to contain an equal number of coins. What is the least possible number of coins needed for the pockets?
Answer: 17
Today
The House of Representatives consists of 435 members divided into two parties. How many Democrats are seated in the House if their seats are equal to 20 more than two-thirds of the Republican Party seats?
Time is your Friend, Impulse is your Enemy.
How Would You Rate Today's Peel?
Happy Investing,
Chris, Vyom, Ankit, Mitchell, Fernanda, & Patrick