New York, Jan 10, 2026, 16:46 EST — Market closed
- Disney shares rose 1.5% on Friday to $115.88, extending a two-day advance.
- CEO Bob Iger met China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang; Disney+ said it will add a vertical short-video feed later this year.
- Next on the calendar: U.S. CPI on Jan. 13, Disney’s dividend installment on Jan. 15, and an expected early-February earnings report.
Shares of The Walt Disney Company rose 1.5% to $115.88 on Friday after China’s state media reported that CEO Bob Iger met Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in Beijing. Ding encouraged Iger to invest further and the visit revived speculation the company could add a second theme park in China. “Disney is full of confidence in China’s development and will continue to expand investment in China,” Iger was quoted as saying. (Reuters)
The headlines land at a touchy moment for big U.S. entertainment groups, which have been trying to balance shrinking traditional TV audiences with uneven ad markets and a streaming business that is still fighting for stickiness. China is a big prize, but it is also a place where politics can move faster than consumer demand.
For Disney investors, any signal — even a symbolic one — that Beijing wants more foreign investment is watched through a commercial lens: films, consumer products, licensing and the broader brand halo that feeds park traffic. It can help, or it can just fade.
On the product side, Disney said this week that Disney+ will add a TikTok-like vertical video feed — a swipeable stream of short clips — later this year, pitching it to advertisers at CES in Las Vegas. “Think all the short-form Disney content you’d want in one unified app,” Erin Teague, an executive vice president of product management, said onstage. Netflix has been testing similar features on mobile. (The Verge)
Disney’s Friday close came on a broadly higher day for U.S. stocks, with the S&P 500 up 0.65% and the Dow up 0.48%, MarketWatch data showed. The stock ended about 7% below its 52-week high of $124.69 hit on June 30, and volume of roughly 8.9 million shares ran below its 50-day average. Netflix fell 1.18% while Comcast rose 0.57%. (MarketWatch)
The stock had climbed 1.12% on Thursday to $114.17 in a session when the S&P 500 was little changed and the Dow rose 0.55%, according to MarketWatch. (MarketWatch)
Income-focused holders have a nearer-term catalyst, too. Disney’s board declared a $1.50 per share cash dividend to be paid in two $0.75 installments, with the first installment due on Jan. 15, 2026, the company’s investor site shows. (The Walt Disney Company)
Macro could jolt the tape before Disney speaks again. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release December 2025 CPI data on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time — a report that can swing rate expectations and, by extension, consumer and media stocks. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
But the China angle cuts both ways. Any thaw can prove temporary, and entertainment companies can still get clipped by policy shifts that have nothing to do with parks or streaming features. A short-video feed is also not a moat; rivals can copy it fast, and there is no guarantee it changes churn, ad pricing or spending if consumers stay cautious.
U.S. markets reopen on Monday, with Disney’s next earnings date still unconfirmed. Wall Street Horizon forecasts Disney will report fiscal first-quarter results on Wednesday, Feb. 4, before the opening bell. (Wallstreethorizon)
