This is CNBC's Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox. Happy Friday and happy 2026! I began my year at the movie theater watching an Amanda Seyfried-led movie-musical ("The Testament of Ann Lee," not "Mamma Mia!"). Stock futures are up this morning. The market is on a four-day losing streak. Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Boom or bust?
Traders wear "2026" glasses as they work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell in New York on December 31, 2025. Timothy A. Clary | Afp | Getty Images
2. Berkshire, sans Buffett
Warren Buffett and Greg Abel walkthrough the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 3, 2025. David A. Grogen | CNBC
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has officially left his position as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway . In his six decades building a flailing textile mill into a $1 trillion behemoth, Buffett's Berkshire has delivered a whopping cumulative return of more than 5.5 million percent to shareholders. In an interview with CNBC's Becky Quick, parts of which aired this morning, Buffett said Berkshire "has a better chance I think of being here 100 years from now than any company I can think of." Buffett, who is being succeeded by Greg Abel, will stay on as chair of the conglomerate. But his departure as CEO leaves the question of who will run Berkshire's $300 billion equity portfolio. As CNBC's Yun Li notes, some investors aren't sold on Abel making investing decisions given his lack of a public track record as a stock picker.
3. In power
Homes near a data center in Ashburn, Virginia, US, on Friday, July 25, 2025. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
In 2025, the artificial intelligence industry began remaking the American landscape — figuratively and literally. Meta , OpenAI and Microsoft are among the tech companies planning hyperscale campuses around the country, turning farmland into compute factories that use massive amounts of electricity. As CNBC's MacKenzie Sigalos reports, these ventures are largely being funded by borrowing agreements, leading to concerns of an AI bubble. The industry is also facing heat from politicians on both sides of the aisle, from Sen. Bernie Sanders to Florida Gov. Ron Desantis. As CNBC's Spencer Kimball explains, bipartisan concern about the data center boom could slow development — especially as politicians gear up for the 2026 midterm elections.
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