Citigroup CEO on market sell-off: Confident that allies will come to some form of resolution

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 20, 2026 at 16:06  |  5:55  |  CNBC
Speakers
Jane Fraser — Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup, Inc.

Summary

Citigroup Chair and CEO Jane Fraser joins CNBC from Davos to discuss the market sell-off tied to President Trump's Greenland tariff threats, the World Economic Forum, and the economic outlook. She expresses confidence that allied leaders will reach a resolution and says the sell-off reflects short-term headline noise rather than a change in investor appetite for US assets. Fraser remains optimistic on 2026 growth and corporate activity but warns markets will be volatile. She strongly criticizes a proposed 10% cap on credit card interest rates, warning it would restrict credit and hurt card-spend-dependent sectors.

  • Markets sold off on Greenland tariff threats and geopolitical headlines.
  • Jane Fraser expects allied governments to find some form of resolution.
  • She remains constructive on US assets and the US economic backdrop.
  • She cites strong consumer spending, AI investment, deregulation, and M&A/IPO activity as supports.
  • She expects 2026 to be volatile despite underlying optimism.
  • Fraser warns a 10% credit card rate cap would restrict credit and hurt card-spend-dependent sectors like airlines, retailers, hotels, and restaurants.
  • She doubts bipartisan support for the credit-card rate cap.
Ideas
Jane Fraser Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup, Inc. 3:21
Don't bet against US assets.
Fraser is not convinced by the 'sell US' narrative. She says the market is reacting immediately to geopolitical headlines, but investor attitude toward US assets has not changed, and there is nowhere else to go. The US is operating from a position of strength, with a strong consumer, strong innovation and entrepreneurship, active M&A/IPO discussions, and productivity improvements, so she would not bet against US assets.
US assets HIGH
Jane Fraser Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup, Inc. 5:22
Credit card cap pressures card-spend sectors.
Fraser warns that a proposed 10% cap on credit card interest rates would be bad for the economy and restrict access to credit. Because credit cards are a major driver of spending, the cap would severely curtail spending and hurt sectors that depend on card spend—airlines, retailers, hotels, and restaurants—as well as the profitability of their card partnerships.
AIRLINES RETAILERS Hotels Restaurants MED
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This CNBC video, published January 20, 2026, features Jane Fraser discussing US assets, AIRLINES, RETAILERS, Hotels, Restaurants. 2 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Jane Fraser  · Tickers: US assets, AIRLINES, RETAILERS, Hotels, Restaurants