CNBC Daily Open: Dow breaks losing streak
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during afternoon trading on January 17, 2024 in New York City.

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here .

Dow snaps 3 days of declines

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average rose Thursday after falling for three straight days, with the other main indexes also ending higher. Wall Street's indexes were boosted by a 3.3% rise in shares of Apple after Bank of America upgraded the company to a buy rating. European shares closed higher as well, but shares of British luxury watch retailer Watches of Switzerland tumbled 36% as it cut its annual guidance.

Disney new activist target

Activist investor Nelson Peltz has his eyes set on Disney. Peltz's Trian Fund Management along with former Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo plan on launching a proxy fight to gain seats on Disney's board. Peltz said he and Rasulo will be like "Batman and Robin" in an interview with CNBC, if they get elected.

India makes ripples at Davos

India is turning up the charm and courting investors at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The world's most populous country touted three key elements – its growth story, digital infrastructure, and burgeoning startup ecosystem. Big Indian technology firms at the forum also showcased their use of artificial intelligence.

Bitcoin at $40,000

Bitcoin hit the $40,000 level Thursday amid a broad sell-off in cryptocurrencies. Analysts labeled the drop as "the correction post-ETF launch" as investors cash in. The world's most popular cryptocurrency had surged ahead of last week's regulatory approval to trade highly anticipated bitcoin ETFs.

[PRO] For next week's earnings

With earnings season on Wall Street in full swing, the pros highlight a few stocks to watch out for. Analysts boosted their estimates for such companies leading up their quarterly reports, with tech stocks as a standout sector for the S&P 500 . Still, overall S&P 500 earnings are expected to drop 6% in the fourth quarter.