5 Things to Watch on
February 3, 2026

Markets are moving higher today as investors attempt to build on recent gains, buoyed by optimism surrounding a newly announced U.S.–India trade deal. President Trump said tariffs on Indian imports would drop to 18% from 50% in exchange for India curbing Russian oil purchases and opening parts of its market, sparking a sharp relief rally in Indian equities and the rupee despite limited official details.

Disney (DIS) named longtime executive Josh D’Amaro as its next CEO, with the parks and cruise chief set to succeed Bob Iger at the company’s annual meeting on March 18. D’Amaro, who joined DIS in 1998 and has led the Experiences unit since 2020, will also join the board, while Iger exits the board by year-end after returning in late 2022. The appointment underscores DIS's growing reliance on its Experiences business, which delivered record $10B in quarterly revenue, nearly 40% of total sales.

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) is up over +11.0% in premarket trading after delivering a strong Q4 beat, fueled by accelerating demand for its AI-driven software from governments and enterprises. Revenue and earnings topped expectations, with U.S. government sales up sharply as PLTR deepened ties with defense and federal agencies. After a volatile end to 2025 that reignited concerns around AI valuations, the results reassured investors that spending on mission-critical AI platforms remains durable, helping reposition PLTR as a beneficiary of sustained public-sector and enterprise adoption rather than speculative hype.

SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI is drawing mixed reactions as Elon Musk pushes a bold thesis that AI compute ultimately belongs in space, powered by solar energy. Supporters see the deal as creating a vertically integrated AI-and-space platform and strengthening SpaceX’s long-term IPO story, while skeptics point to major technical, regulatory, and execution challenges. The move has also renewed focus on Tesla (TSLA), which recently invested $2B in xAI and is increasingly viewed by some analysts as the industrial and robotics backbone of Musk’s broader AI ecosystem rather than just an electric vehicle company.

PayPal Holdings (PYPL) is down over -16.0% in premarket trading after missing Q4 estimates and issuing downbeat 2026 guidance, with management citing execution issues in its core checkout business. The surprise CEO change added to uncertainty, overshadowing solid payment volume growth and raising doubts about how quickly PYPL can regain momentum.