NEW YORK, Jan 11, 2026, 13:22 EST — Market closed
Meta Platforms climbed 1.1% on Friday after the Facebook parent revealed that nuclear-energy deals might deliver up to 6.6 gigawatts of power by 2035 to support its expanding AI data centers. The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC) edged up 0.35%, while Alphabet ticked higher by 0.9%. 1
The broader market on Friday gave the S&P 500 a boost, pushing it to a record high close. Despite December’s jobs report coming in weaker than expected, investors remained confident about Federal Reserve rate cuts later this year. Interest in AI stocks kept the momentum going, Reuters reported. Zachary Hill, Horizon Investments’ head of portfolio management, noted that investors are “getting granular” with AI, carefully separating winners from losers. 2
Traders in communication services face a double-edged sword with concentration in the sector. Meta made up 19.36% of XLC as of Jan. 8, while Alphabet’s Class A and C shares combined accounted for around 20%, according to State Street Global Advisors. Netflix and Walt Disney followed as the largest holdings, alongside telecom giants Verizon and T-Mobile rounding out the top names. 3
TerraPower announced that its agreement with Meta includes up to eight Natrium reactors paired with energy-storage systems, capable of delivering as much as 2.8 gigawatts of steady baseload power. When combined with storage, the total output capacity rises to 4 gigawatts. CEO Chris Levesque emphasized that the U.S. must “deploy gigawatts” of advanced nuclear energy throughout the 2030s. 4
Oklo revealed that Meta can prepay for power and jumpstart early work on a 1.2-gigawatt campus planned for Pike County, Ohio. Pre-construction and site prep are set for 2026, with phase one aimed for as soon as 2030. Jacob DeWitte, Oklo co-founder, called Meta’s funding pledge “a major step” for advanced nuclear. Meta’s energy executive Urvi Parekh noted the project will back Ohio operations, including an AI “supercluster” in New Albany. 5
Regulators have stepped in. A European Commission spokesperson indicated WhatsApp Channels will likely be classified under the EU’s Digital Services Act, the bloc’s framework demanding major platforms do more to curb illegal and harmful content. WhatsApp reported 51.7 million average monthly active users in the EU for Channels in H1 2025 — surpassing the 45 million user threshold. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the Commission could “designate potentially WhatsApp” for Channels, exposing the company to fines up to 6% of global annual revenue for DSA breaches. 6
U.S. wireless carriers are headed to the Supreme Court in a challenge over the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to levy fines. The case involves nearly $200 million in penalties for sharing customer location data without consent. The justices are set to deliver a ruling by the end of June. 7
Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, found itself back under Washington’s microscope. Three Democratic senators called on Apple and Google to pull Elon Musk’s X and its Grok chatbot from their app stores, citing concerns over the circulation of nonconsensual sexual images, a letter revealed on Friday. 8
The nuclear story is a long one, with timelines that often stretch out. Small modular reactors—compact units designed for factory assembly—haven’t launched any commercial operations in the U.S. yet, and they’ll require permits before moving forward. Critics argue these smaller plants could find it tough to match the economies of scale that big reactors achieve. 9
Macro data could pack a bigger punch than any one corporate report if it sways expectations around rate cuts. Watch for the U.S. consumer price index for December, set for release Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 8:30 a.m. ET. 10
Investors will then turn their focus to the Fed’s January 27-28 meeting, where a press conference is set for January 28. Ahead of that, the Beige Book, due January 14, provides an early glimpse at regional demand. For communication services, the interest-rate environment might be just as critical as any new update on data-center construction. 11
