The Exchange

A batch of negative data, including weak consumer sentiment, is weighing on stocks. Plus, UnitedHealth plunges as the Justice Department reportedly investigates its Medicare billing practices. And Wells Fargo has the retail names most exposed to the Trump administration’s shifting policy on immigration.

Walmart’s weak guidance is weighing on the Dow, putting it on pace for one of its worst days of the year. Plus, a flurry of Fed officials are weighing in on tariff uncertainty and warning of a material slowdown. And the housing market could be set for another soggy spring selling season. We’ll ask the CEO of Tri Pointe Homes about what he’s seeing.

Listen to the day's top stories, the must reads & a whole lot more for today's modern investor.

President Trump reiterated his reciprocal tariff plan over the weekend. We’ll speak to an expert that says it really could lead to 20% or more tariffs on many of our biggest trading partners.Plus, shares of Intel are surging again today amid reports it could be broken in two. But we’ll speak to an analyst who says he has a “better” idea to create value.And, U.S. and Russia officials are holding their first high-level talks in more than two years, as they try to negotiate a truce in the Ukraine conflict. We’ll get the latest details.

The major averages are set to end the week higher despite a whirlwind week of tariffs, inflation, and Musk-driven drama. But President Trump’s rhetoric around defense spending is spooking that sector. And Intel is on pace for its best week since 2000 on rumors of a tie-up with Taiwan Semi. We’ll cut through the noise with Bernstein’s Stacy Rasgon.

President Trump is set to impose new, reciprocal tariffs on other nations, matching what they currently charge the U.S. to import goods. We’ll look at the fallout for stocks and the inflationary impact. And is DOGE distracting Elon Musk from Tesla? Wedbush’s Dan Ives doesn’t think so, and says deregulation will drive another $1 trillion in market cap for the EV maker. And Atlantic Council CEO Fred Kempe is in Munich with what European officials are saying about a potential truce between Russia and Ukraine.

Today’s hotter-than-expected CPI print might make the Fed’s path forward a bit murkier, as Powell doubles down on not rushing to cut rates with the economy as strong as it is. Plus, Elon Musk is laying out his vision for DOGE’s cuts to the federal government, as his feud with OpenAI’s Sam Altman continues.

Fed Chair Powell is wrapping up his first day of testimony on Capitol Hill, saying there’s no rush for the central bank to cut rates. Plus, Elon Musk is making an offer to buy OpenAI, but Sam Altman wasted no time shutting that down. And BYD is taking aim at Tesla in China with its new driver assistance technology

Inflation is stealing the show today with consumers increasingly anxious about tariffs and higher costs. KPMG’s Diane Swonk is now forecasting zero Fed rate cuts this year and joins us to make her case. Plus, we’ll speak with the Frontier CEO as the stock soars on the back of earnings and on the heels of making another offer to buy Spirit. And the U.S. unit of Belgian cement producer, Titan America, is going public on the NYSE. The CEO joins us in a First on CNBC interview.

January’s jobs report is on deck, and there’s likely to be a huge swing on the monthly figure and some major revisions. Plus, tech stocks are underperforming this year at a level we haven’t seen in over a decade. And Amazon, Affirm, and Expedia results are on deck. We have the numbers and narratives to know in Earnings Exchange.