New York, Jan 24, 2026, 14:09 EST — The market has closed.
- On Friday, Cisco shares ended the day 0.35% higher, closing at $74.59.
- President Jeetu Patel told Davos attendees that AI slashed certain internal tasks from “person-years” down to just weeks.
- The week ahead features a Fed decision, major tech earnings, and the launch of Cisco’s partner program.
Cisco Systems (CSCO.O) shares ended Friday up 0.35%, closing at $74.59. During the session, the stock fluctuated between $73.71 and $75.07 on roughly 13.1 million shares traded.
At Davos, President Jeetu Patel revealed that projects which previously required the effort of 19 person-years can now wrap up in just weeks thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). “The way in which we code actually was rethought,” Patel said. 1
The comment comes before a busy week for risk assets, as investors seek confirmation that AI spending will boost profits rather than just inflate costs. “It’s been a little bit of a short but steep roller-coaster ride,” said Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment strategist at PNC, as markets shift focus to rates and earnings. 2
The Federal Reserve’s policy-setting committee will convene on Jan. 27-28. The rate decision is due at 2:00 p.m. ET on Jan. 28, followed by a press conference at 2:30 p.m., per the central bank’s official calendar. 3
On Friday, U.S. stocks closed the week mixed: the Dow slipped 0.58%, the S&P 500 held steady, and the Nasdaq gained 0.28%, Reuters reported. Investors are now turning their attention to a fresh batch of major tech earnings. 4
Cisco isn’t a megacap on the scale of the biggest cloud and chip giants, but it controls the backbone: switches, routers, and security essential for companies—whether they develop AI internally or purchase it as a service. This positions the stock as a reliable barometer for corporate network spending, even when headlines get hectic.
On the corporate front, Cisco plans to roll out its updated Cisco 360 Partner Program on Jan. 25. The revamped program features fresh incentives and new specializations targeting growth in AI and security sectors, according to a November statement. “This program is critical to our mutual success with partners,” said Tim Coogan, Cisco’s senior vice president of global partner sales. 5
Cisco is set to host its second annual AI Summit on Feb. 3, both in San Francisco and online. CEO Chuck Robbins and Patel will lead the event, featuring speakers like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, according to a Cisco announcement. 6
That said, the tide could turn this week. Should the Fed signal less readiness to ease, or if megacap earnings raise fresh concerns about AI infrastructure returns, investors might shift away from “AI-adjacent” hardware stocks. Anything priced beyond near-term fundamentals could get hit hard.
Cisco is set to release its next earnings report on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, with the quarterly call kicking off at 1:30 p.m. Pacific (4:30 p.m. Eastern). 7
