Trump's defense spending plans, Venezuelan oil, Ford's eyes-off driving push and more in Morning Squawk
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Happy Thursday. If you can't already tell from reading this newsletter, I'm a big cliché user. So with the S&P 500's first losing day of the year, maybe traders can seek solace from the age-old saying: It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Stock futures are lower this morning after a mixed session .
Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
- Market Movers
The Trump administration announced a flurry of market-moving policy plans yesterday that could reshape everything from what we eat to the path to home ownership.
- Processed food stocks and the broader Invesco Food & Beverage ETF slid after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled new nutrition guidelines.
- The government's new food pyramid favors protein, full-fat dairy and vegetables and cautions against processed foods.
- Later, President Donald Trump said on social media that he would take steps to bar institutional investors from buying single-family homes, sending shares of rental owners tumbling.
- Major defense stocks also fell after Trump said he "will not permit" defense firms to issue stock buybacks or dividends until they resolve his complaints with the sector.
- But stocks in the sector rebounded in premarket trading today after Trump called for a $1.5 trillion U.S. military budget next year.
- Declines across the three sectors weighed on the market yesterday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 pulling back from all-time highs. Both indexes snapped three-day losing streaks.
- However, the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite eked out a small gain, helped in part by Intel's 6.5% rally.
- Follow live markets updates here.
- Refined Plans
As the fallout from the U.S.' overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro continues, all eyes are on the country's oil. Trump on Tuesday said Venezuela would turn over up to 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the U.S., but sources close to the White House told CNBC yesterday that those were only the first barrels and that shipments would continue indefinitely.
The White House said yesterday that Trump reserves the right to use military force to protect U.S. oil workers in Venezuela. The South American country would also use revenue from its oil sales to purchase American products, Trump said on social media.
Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC yesterday that debts owed by Venezuela to ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil were not an immediate priority for the Trump administration. CEOs from both companies, as well as a representative from Chevron, are expected to meet with Trump on Friday.
- Greenland, Red Light
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters yesterday that he would meet with Danish officials about Greenland next week. News of the talks comes as Trump reiterates his threats to take over the island to bolster U.S. national security.
But as CNBC's Dan Mangan notes, Denmark's leaders aren't taking these comments on the chin. On Tuesday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the European country would spend the equivalent of $13.8 billion to rearm Greenland given "the serious security situation we find ourselves in."
In Washington, some congressional Republicans are brushing off Trump's threats. As Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., put it, Trump sometimes negotiates using an "everything is on the table" strategy.
- Minneapolis Shooting
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis fatally shot a woman in her car yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Top DHS officials claimed the woman engaged in an "act of domestic terrorism" by attempting to run down ICE agents. But Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey both rejected that description of events, with the latter calling it "bulls---" and "a garbage narrative."
The shooting comes amid increasing tensions in Minneapolis and St. Paul, as more than 2,000 government agents descend on the area for immigration enforcement. Walz and other elected officials called for the agents to leave Minneapolis following the shooting: "I have a simple message: We don't need any further help from the federal government," the governor said. "To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem: You've done enough."
- New Path
Ford is planning to enter the eyes-off driving arena. The Detroit automaker said last night that it will begin rolling out the technology in 2028 with a $30,000 all-electric vehicle.
As CNBC's Michael Wayland notes, Ford joins a bevy of fellow automakers looking to launch similar systems. But Ford's plan to start with a typical electric vehicle, rather than a higher-priced car, is unique. The move is tied to a strategy of "putting our best and newest technology where the volume is and where the accessibility is," Ford executive Doug Field told CNBC.
The Daily Dividend
Alphabet surpassed Apple in market cap for the first time since 2019 yesterday, the latest sign of how the tech giants are diverging on artificial intelligence. See for yourself how the two have stacked up over the years:
CNBC's Dan Mangan, Amelia Lucas, Kevin Breuninger, Yun Li, Sean Conlon, Spencer Kimball, Jennifer Elias, Brian Sullivan, Garrett Downs, Michael Wayland and Gabriel Cortes contributed to this report. Josephine Rozzelle edited this edition.
