CNBC Business News Update - Market Open: Stocks Higher, Nvidia Up 3%, Goldman Sachs & Morgan Stanley With Strong Results 1/15/26

Episode Date: January 15, 2026

From Wall Street to Main Street, the latest on the markets and what it means for your money. Updated regularly on weekdays, featuring CNBC expert analysis and sound from top business newsmakers. Anchored and reported by CNBC's Jessica Ettinger. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Jessica Eddinger, CNBC, Wall Street out of the gate in the green this morning. The Dow up 143 points. Invidia shares leading it higher, they're up 3%. President Trump clearing the way for Nvidia to sell some computer chips to China with a big surcharge to the U.S. government. The S&P 500 index up 38 points. The NASDAQ up 197 points. Goldman Sachs out with better than expected quarterly results, as is Morgan Stanley. both firms enjoying wealth management revenue success.

The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week was remarkably low, below 200,000, and that's well below the pre-pendemic average, and an indicator that the labor market may be steadying and not necessarily weakening. The number of people continuing to collect benefit checks also fell, hinting that some people found their new job with the new year. Chipmaker Taiwan's semi-shears popping on better than expected results, Profit jumped 35%. Almost all the chipmaker's shares are higher today. The essence of it was, you think there's a bubble? Have you talked to any of the clients?

Do you know that they can't get enough? Do you know how much money they're making? We usually hear that they're spending too much and they're not getting returned. It was quite the opposite from the company that sees everything. Business is great because there's no way it can't be. That's CNBC Mad Money host Jim Kramer. A warning today from member of the Fed, Austin Goolsby, the Chicago Fed president, responding to the Trump Department of Justice's effort to criminally investigate the Fed chair, which some are calling politically motivated. There have been countries that had criminal investigations of their central banks, but those countries are Zimbabwe and Russia and Turkey and a bunch of places that you would not characterize as advanced economies. anything that's infringing or attacking the independence of the central bank is a mess.

You're going to get inflation come roaring back if you try to take away the independence of the central bank. Tax season opens a week from Monday on January 26th. Bigger tax refunds are coming for many Americans, a tailwind for the economy that could boost consumer spending. The Muhammad Ali stamp is on sale today. Jessica Eddinger, CNBC. Breaking earnings news. Market reaction this week on CNBC and streaming on CNBC Plus.