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The Belly of the Beast: Big Tech and the Fed · The SPY Trader

• 0:00
  Welcome to the Spy Trader podcast .
• 0:03
  I am your host , ProfitPocket Pete , and it is 5 am on Sunday , January 25th , 2026 , in the beautiful Pacific Time zone .
• 0:13
  Grab your coffee and let's get into what is shaping up to be the wildest week of the year .
• 0:17
  We are coming off a recordbreaking Friday where the S&P 500 hit a massive six thousand nine hundred sixteen points .
• 0:26
  But do not get too comfortable , because we are heading into the belly of the beast with the Federal Reserve and the big tech giants all taking center stage .
• 0:35
  Looking back at last week , things were a bit of a mixed bag despite those record highs .
• 0:40
  While Microsoft and Nvidia showed some serious muscle , the Dow Jones struggled .
• 0:46
  We saw a massive seventeen percent plunge in Intel after they gave a weak outlook , and Goldman Sachs showed some weakness in the financial sector as well .
• 0:56
  This tells us that the market is starting to get a bit picky about who it rewards .
• 1:00
  Looking ahead to this week , we expect things to be pretty volatile .
• 1:04
  Most investors will likely wait and see what happens when the Federal Reserve meets on Wednesday .
• 1:10
  While everyone expects them to hold interest rates steady at four point five percent , all eyes are on Chairman Powell to see if he hints at a rate cut in March .
• 1:21
  We also have some huge economic data coming out , like the preliminary fourthquarter GDP on Thursday and the PCE price index on Friday .
• 1:30
  If those numbers come in too hot , it might give the Fed a reason to keep rates higher for longer , which could take some wind out of the market's sails .
• 1:39
  Now , let's talk about the main event : MegaCap Earnings .
• 1:42
  This is the week where the giants speak .
• 1:45
  On Wednesday , we have Tesla reporting .
• 1:49
  Everyone is focused on their vehicle margins and their energy unit , which just hit a record fourteen point two gigawatthours .
• 1:56
  Also on Wednesday , Microsoft will tell us if those billions they are spending on AI are actually paying off .
• 2:03
  Then on Thursday , we get Apple .
• 2:06
  They just had a record holiday quarter with over one hundred twentyfour billion dollars in revenue , and now we want to see how they plan to expand Apple Intelligence globally .
• 2:17
  Amazon will also be reporting , with a big focus on their cloud growth .
• 2:22
  For your trading strategy this week , I suggest sticking with the big winners but staying cautious .
• 2:27
  If you want broad exposure to this recordhigh market , holding the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF , ticker VOO , or the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF , ticker IVV , is your safest bet .
• 2:41
  This balances the tech strength we are seeing against the current weakness in financials .
• 2:46
  In the tech world , things are split .
• 2:49
  Since Intel is struggling while Nvidia is rising , it might be smarter to use the Invesco QQQ Trust , ticker QQQ , for diversified tech exposure rather than betting on individual chip stocks .
• 3:02
  However , keep an eye on AMD as a potential catchup play if Microsoft gives a strong report .
• 3:09
  If you are worried about the Fed or inflation , consider a small position in the iShares twentyplus year Treasury Bond ETF , ticker TLT .
• 3:19
  If the Fed sounds like they might cut rates soon , bonds could see a nice price pop .
• 3:24
  Finally , don't forget about gold .
• 3:26
  The SPDR Gold Shares , ticker GLD , is a great hold right now .
• 3:31
  Gold recently hit record highs near two thousand seven hundred seventyeight dollars an ounce and acts as a great insurance policy against inflation and global uncertainty .
• 3:41
  It is going to be a fastmoving week , so keep your eyes on the charts and your emotions in check .
• 3:47
  Thanks for listening to Spy Trader .
• 3:50
  I will be back in a few hours with more updates .
• 3:53
  Happy trading !