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Disruptive geopolitical events often push investors to jump into bonds or sell off stocks temporarily. But when the U.S. military captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and President Trump declared control over the oil-rich nation, neither of those happened. In this episode, markets are largely unmoved by Trump’s military intervention. Plus: Experts say jobs data is most important for predicting where the economy is headed, and Landon Derentz at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center gives context to Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.
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The Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro pleads not guilty in New York to drug trafficking and other charges while Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president. Can she command the support of regime insiders as well as Washington? Also on the programme: we'll hear how ordinary Venezuelans are responding to the upheaval; and ask a Republican member of congress about President Trump's astonishing use of raw American power and the diplomatic conundrum for the US allies. (Photo: A screen grab taken from a handout video screenshot made available by Venezuela's state television VTV shows Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez being sworn in as acting president of the country in Caracas, Venezuela. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)
For months, the U.S. sold its pressure campaign against Venezuela as a way to curtail drug trafficking. Now, after a surprise military operation on Saturday that led to the capture of President Nicolàs Maduro, U.S. oil companies have a path to regaining access to one of the world’s largest oil reserves. But WSJ’s Collin Eaton explains why getting companies to flock back to Venezuela will be a massive challenge. Ryan Knutson hosts.
Further Listening:
- Make Money Not War: Trump’s Plan for Peace in Ukraine
- Why Is the U.S. Giving Billions to Argentina?
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Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appears with his wife in a New York courtroom to plead not guilty to drug trafficking charges. Denmark prime minister warns U.S. not to intervene militarily in Greenland. CDC overhauls childhood vaccine schedule.
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P.M. Edition for Jan. 5. President Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” represents a big turn in U.S. geopolitical strategy. We talk with Geoff Ramsey, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and an expert on Latin America, about how other countries in the region could be feeling pressure from the U.S. Plus, Venezuela’s ousted leader Nicolás Maduro remained defiant during his first appearance in U.S. federal court. And why automakers are expecting a tough year ahead. Alex Ossola hosts.
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Venezuelan expert Quico Toro explains why the removal of Nicolás Maduro feels historic—and yet leaves Venezuela largely unchanged, with the regime's machinery fully intact. Toro warns that Washington's belief in Rodríguez as a workable "moderate" badly misreads her ideological lineage and incentives. Plus: a spiel on Trump's lies and bombast—why presidential exaggeration is a poor proxy for judging whether high-risk foreign operations actually succeed. And the thickness of Venezuelan oil, Trump blood, and maybe Trump himself.
Produced by Corey Wara | Coordinated by Lya Yanne | Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig
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Oil and defense stocks also rallied on the news. Plus: Bed Bath & Beyond shares rose after the company announced a new chief executive. Katherine Sullivan hosts.
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An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
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The first full trading week of 2026 got off to a caffeinated start. Today on Motley Fool Money, Rick Munarriz, with analysts Nick Sciple and Jon Quast, dive into the investing implications behind the capturing of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. There’s also a look at the bounce-back potential of Duolingo and Lululemon in 2026, as well as predictions for Disney in the coming year.
They unpack:
- What the shake-up in Venezuela means for investors.
- Reasons why Duolingo and Lululemon can bounce back after plummeting 46% each in 2025.
- How likely are Rick’s four predictions for Disney in 2026 to pan out.
Companies discussed: CVX, XOM, MELI, DUOL, LULU, DIS, WBD, NFLX
Host: Rick Munarriz, Jon Quast, Nick Sciple
Producer: Anand Chokkavelu
Engineer: Dan Boyd
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We’re committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode.
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