New York, Jan 25, 2026, 11:42 EST — Market closed.
- Coca-Cola shares finished up roughly 1.4% at $72.88, hovering close to a 52-week peak
- Late last week, consumer staples drew buying interest while the broader market grew volatile
- The next key events are the Fed’s Jan. 27-28 meeting and Coca-Cola’s earnings report on Feb. 10
Coca-Cola (KO) closed Friday up roughly 1.4%, hitting $72.88 after bouncing between $71.67 and $73.03, with volume near 18.3 million shares. The stock remains about 2% off its 52-week peak and outpaced PepsiCo, which saw a modest 0.1% gain. (MarketWatch)
The gain came after a choppy week on Wall Street that ended with little change overall. On Friday, the Dow dropped 0.58%, the S&P 500 held steady, and the Nasdaq rose 0.28%. Intel’s sharp decline on a gloomy outlook weighed on sentiment and kept investors cautious. Jason Blackwell, chief investment strategist at Focus Partners Wealth, said investors feel “pretty good” but should brace for “twists and turns.” (Reuters)
That kind of sentiment usually favors consumer staples — firms offering essential goods that often stand firm when investors turn wary. On Jan. 23, the iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF posted a 0.81% gain in net asset value. (BlackRock)
Over the weekend, a minor legal spat surfaced in the drinks sector. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, a key Coca-Cola bottler, took Vue cinemas to court after the chain shifted its European soft drink supply to Pepsi, according to The Guardian. Vue responded that the contested sum was below £100,000 and confirmed the petition had been dropped. (The Guardian)
Coca-Cola’s next major events are ticking down on the calendar, not hitting headlines just yet. The company plans to release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 10 before the NYSE opens. An investor call will follow at 8:30 a.m. ET. Then, CEO-elect Henrique Braun and CFO John Murphy are set to speak at the CAGNY conference on Feb. 17. (The Coca-Cola Company)
Investors are also sizing up how much further companies can hike prices. A Friday survey showed U.S. business activity steady in January, with consumer sentiment ticking up and one-year inflation expectations easing to 4.0%. Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, described the improvement as “small” but “broad based.” Meanwhile, S&P Global’s Chris Williamson pointed to tariffs as the main culprit behind rising costs. (Reuters)
Washington remains another key near-term swing factor. The Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed’s rate-setting panel, is scheduled to meet Jan. 27-28. Traders will be scrutinizing both the decision and Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks for clues on how long policy will remain tight. (Federal Reserve)
The defensive appeal could vanish fast if bond yields spike or if investors turn back to growth stocks. For Coca-Cola, all eyes will be on February’s reports for hints of weakening pricing power or slowing demand in crucial markets.
As trading picks up Monday, all eyes will be on KO to see if it can maintain Friday’s gains ahead of the Fed’s midweek decision. Coca-Cola’s next key event is its earnings report and conference call on Feb. 10.
