NEW YORK, January 24, 2026, 18:15 (EST) — The market has closed for the day.
- On Friday, Nvidia shares climbed 1.5% to finish at $187.67.
- Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, is in Shanghai while Beijing considers whether to permit the company’s H200 chip in China.
- Investors are also gearing up for the Fed’s January 28 decision, alongside a packed week of megacap earnings.
NVIDIA Corp (NVDA) shares ended Friday 1.5% higher at $187.67. With U.S. markets closed over the weekend, traders are focused on China news and the upcoming Fed meeting as they look ahead to Monday’s session.
The stock has been moving more like a policy play than just a chip name. Even small shifts in China demand can swing sentiment fast. Nvidia stands right at the heart of the AI, or artificial intelligence, spending narrative.
Chief Executive Jensen Huang was in Shanghai Saturday for an annual employee event and plans to visit Beijing, Shenzhen, and Taiwan next, sources said. Nvidia awaits Beijing’s decision on whether it can sell its H200 AI chip to Chinese buyers. This follows U.S. approval, though reports say customs agents have been instructed to block the chip’s import. 1
Friday saw Nvidia climb after Bloomberg News revealed that Chinese authorities informed major tech players like Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance they could start placing orders for H200 chips. This boost contrasted with the Dow’s 0.58% decline and a mostly flat S&P 500, while Intel dropped sharply on a disappointing forecast that rattled risk sentiment near the close. 2
A regulatory filing included a brief, separate headline. In an 8-K dated Jan. 23, Nvidia announced that Persis Drell resigned from its board and the board’s compensation committee as of Jan. 20. The departure was to pursue a new professional opportunity and was not related to any disagreement with the company. 3
Insider selling popped up again in an SEC filing. Executive Vice President Ajay K. Puri offloaded 200,000 shares on Jan. 21, fetching a weighted average price of $180.0358 each. The filing noted the sale occurred under a Rule 10b5-1 plan set up in September. (For reference, a 10b5-1 plan lets insiders sell shares even if they later come across new material information.) 4
The bigger factor here is still China. Earlier this month, the Trump administration approved H200 exports to China but imposed conditions like third-party testing and limits linked to U.S. shipments. Seaport Research analyst Jay Goldberg dismissed these rules as a mere “Band-Aid” fix. 5
Expect a volatile week ahead. “Earnings are the driver,” said Franklin Templeton senior market strategist Chris Galipeau, pointing to big names like Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Tesla reporting soon. Investors will be watching closely for signs that heavy AI infrastructure investments are starting to pay off. 6
Rate policy faces a major test as the Fed’s two-day meeting unfolds Jan. 27-28. The decision drops Wednesday afternoon, followed closely by a press conference. 7
Yet the upside hinges on choices Nvidia can’t make. If authorities impose formal limits on H200 imports or roll out new export restrictions, a crucial source of demand could vanish. Add in Chinese competitors and Beijing’s evolving policy aims, and the outlook gets complicated fast.
Investors will be looking closely at Huang’s trip on Monday and throughout the week, as well as the Fed’s January 28 decision. Either could shift risk appetite for megacap tech and the AI trade.
