Top Pros' Top Picks 1/28/26

Market Minute ⏱️ 1/28/26: Dollar Drop, Amazon Job Cuts in Focus

Mike Larson | Editor-in-Chief

The US dollar is on the ropes this week, with key technical levels coming into play. Meanwhile, gold and silver are soaring again, crude oil is modestly higher, and stocks are mixed. Bitcoin just recaptured $90,000.

The dollar is squarely in focus today, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) breaking below the critical 96 level yesterday – and trying to cling to it this morning. I covered what’s driving this significant move in my Chart of the Day column here…but suffice it to say the precious metals market is paying close attention. Gold prices were surging around $170 at last check, after hitting a fresh record above $5,300 an ounce earlier.

AMZN, ASML, SBUX (1-Year % Change)

Job cuts keep piling up at Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), with the online retail and cloud services provider slashing 16,000 positions. Management said the cuts would “strengthen our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy,” and they follow a wave of layoffs announced back in October. All told, AMZN is paring its workforce by around 30,000. Amazon stock is up just 3.9% in the last year.

ASML Holding NV (ASML) stock surged after the chipmaking equipment maker reported record bookings. The Dutch firm said it had 13.2 billion euros in Q4 bookings, far ahead of the 6.8 billion euro forecast from analysts.

ASML sells high-end semiconductor equipment to companies like Intel Corp. (INTC) and Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), making it a prime beneficiary of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) spending boom. The company is also planning its own round of layoffs – 1,700 employees, or roughly 4% of its global workforce. ASML stock has risen 112.8% in the past year.

Finally, the turnaround at coffee giant Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) appears to be accelerating. CEO Brian Niccol has focused on improving service, cutting wait times, and restructuring the menu to make it simpler. That helped boost global sales by a greater-than-expected 4% in the most-recent quarter, sending Starbucks stock up 9% in early trading. The shares had lost 1.7% in the 12 months through yesterday.

Morgan: The Great Re-Collateralization and How to Prepare for a Global Monetary Reset

• Top Picks 2026: Idexx Laboratories Inc. (IDXX)
  👉️ TICKER: IDXX
  There’s only one downside to owning pets, and that is their relatively brief lifespan. As pet owners know, caring for ailing fur babies involves multiple experiences at the veterinarian’s office, visits that often come with multiple batteries of diagnostic tests. Providing those tests is Idexx Laboratories Inc. (IDXX), observes Jim Woods, editor of Investing Edge.

• Top Picks 2026: Prologis Inc. (PLD)
  👉️ TICKER: PLD
  My growth-oriented pick entering 2026 is Prologis Inc. (PLD), the global leader in logistics real estate. With roughly 1.3 billion square feet of warehouses in high-barrier, high-growth markets worldwide, Prologis sits at the center of the global movement of goods and functions as essential infrastructure, highlights Nikolaos Sismanis, analyst at Sure Retirement.

🎰 📈 Prime your portfolio for maximum profit in 2026—at the MoneyShow/TradersEXPO Las Vegas! Click HERE to join 100+ experts for three days of education and fun, Feb. 23-25, 2026, at the Paris Las Vegas!

📫💰3 Dividend Stocks That Pay No Matter What the Economy Does. (Barchart)