Information in Investor's Business Daily is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer, recommendation, solicitation, or rating to buy or sell securities. The information has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable, but we make no guarantee as to its accuracy, timeliness, or suitability, including with respect to information that appears in closed captioning. Historical investment performances are no indication or guarantee of future success or perfo ...

Company News - Trump Media Technology Group announced a merger with a nuclear fusion energy company [1] - OpenAI released GPT-5.2-Codex [1] - Google Cloud announced an expansion of its partnership with cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks [1] Market Dynamics - Pinduoduo's stock rose over 6% in pre-market trading [1] - Oracle's stock increased by more than 4% in pre-market trading [1] - Nvidia's stock rose over 1% in pre-market trading [1]

Let's bring in Kevin Green, senior market correspondent to help set up the action today. All right, KG. Looks like it's going to be a pushpull kind of day.What's your take. >> Yeah, I would agree with you. I mean, obviously yesterday we actually did see a pretty nice little rally in the S&P 500.A little bit of a weak close, but obviously we were still in the in the green here and we actually did see outperformance from three sectors that we would like to see kind of command this market. Consumer discretiona ...

Market Overview - Stocks are expected to close the week positively, supported by cooler inflation data that suggests lower borrowing costs may be on the horizon [1] - S&P 500 futures are up 0.1% and Nasdaq 100 contracts are up 0.2%, with OpenAI reportedly raising $100 billion in new capital, alleviating funding pressures in the AI sector [1][6] - Bitcoin is also experiencing gains, while Treasuries are down, and gold is near its all-time high, with predictions it could exceed $5,000 [1][9] Company-Specific Developments - Oracle shares rose 6% in premarket trading after TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, signed agreements to create a US joint venture majority-owned by American investors, with Oracle leading the investment group [1][6] - Nike shares fell 11% after the company projected a sales decline due to weak performance in China and issues with the Converse brand [5] - KB Home's shares dropped 5% after the company's fiscal fourth-quarter profit missed analysts' expectations, and its outlook for fiscal 2026 housing revenue was below expectations [5] - WhiteFiber shares surged 20% following a 10-year co-location agreement with Nscale Global Holdings [5] Sector Performance - The Mag 7 stocks, including Nvidia and Tesla, are mostly higher, indicating a rebound in tech stocks after previous sell-offs due to financing concerns in the AI supply chain [3] - Defense stocks are in focus as the EU agreed to loan Ukraine €90 billion ($105 billion) to support its economy amid ongoing conflict [5] - Cloud infrastructure stocks, such as CoreWeave, are rebounding after a previous sell-off, with CoreWeave climbing 5% [3] Economic Indicators - The US economic calendar includes November existing home sales and December University of Michigan sentiment, which could impact market sentiment [1][16] - Goldman Sachs predicts a 13% return from a broadening bull market in 2026, with growth supported by Fed rate cuts and positive economic conditions [7][8]

Core Insights - The AI hype is growing, but concerns about market bubbles and the disruptive power of the technology are increasing as well [1] - Despite strong earnings from tech giants like Alphabet and Nvidia, overlooked sectors such as memory chips and hard drives are seen as better investment opportunities [1] - The sustainability of massive AI-related capital expenditures and the return on investment from large cloud computing companies are under scrutiny as the bull market in US stocks continues into its fourth year [1] Company-Specific Concerns - OpenAI's profitability is being questioned, particularly regarding its ability to fulfill a $300 billion cloud computing agreement with Oracle, leading to a 45% drop in Oracle's stock since its peak in September [2] - Oracle faces additional challenges, including high data center leasing costs, project delays, and rising debt levels, which have raised credit risk indicators to their highest since the financial crisis [2] - Other cloud providers like CoreWeave and Nebius Group have also seen significant declines in market value, with CoreWeave losing about two-thirds of its value since June and Nebius down over 42% from its October peak [2] Sector Performance - In 2025, investors identified new AI trading opportunities by tracking promised capital expenditures, with companies like SanDisk, Western Digital, and Seagate performing well in the S&P 500 [3] - Software stocks, particularly SaaS companies, have struggled due to fears of being disrupted by AI technologies like ChatGPT and Alphabet's Gemini, which could erode demand and pricing power [6] - The SaaS sector saw a 10% decline in the Morgan Stanley SaaS index, while broader software indices, including AI winners like Microsoft, rose by 5% [6] Valuation Trends - Despite concerns over high valuations, stocks like Palantir Technologies and Tesla have performed well, with Palantir's stock rising 146% and Tesla reaching a historical high, both maintaining high price-to-earnings ratios [9][12] - Analysts expect Palantir's revenue to grow by 43% in 2026 and 39% in 2027, while Tesla's sales are projected to increase by 13% in 2026 and 19% in 2027 [9][12] - The technology sector enters 2026 with high expectations and expensive valuations, necessitating companies to prove their growth potential to sustain stock price increases [12]

US-China Trade Relations & Geopolitics - The Chinese government's reaction to the TikTok deal has been muted, with state media quoting a professor stating the deal aligns with Chinese law, suggesting tacit approval [1][2] - The proposed TikTok deal, structured as a joint venture, may not include the algorithm, which is considered the most valuable asset, raising questions about its strategic significance [3][4] - China may be using the TikTok deal and soybean purchases as concessions to maintain a relationship with President Trump, potentially aiming to divide him from the broader US national security community [4][5][11][12][13] - The tariffs imposed by the US on China are expected to remain permanent, influencing the dynamics of trade negotiations and potentially prompting China to offer "gifts" to the US president [10] Technology Sector Impact - The Oracle shares are surging on the news [6] - The TikTok deal is viewed as a positive development for the technology sector, reinforcing the ongoing upgrade cycle and the importance of technology in modern life [7][8] - The agreement revives a trade that had soured for the last 10 days or so and it looks like we're back on track [8]

Core Viewpoint - The Chinese government's reaction to the TikTok deal indicates a belief that the joint venture with Oracle will proceed, as it aligns with Chinese law and does not involve the sale of the algorithm, which remains under ByteDance's ownership [2][4]. Group 1: Chinese Government's Position - The Chinese foreign ministry has not provided detailed comments on the TikTok deal, maintaining a consistent stance that aligns with their legal framework [1][2]. - A Beijing professor has stated that the joint venture is compliant with Chinese law, emphasizing that Oracle will only review the algorithm without the ability to copy it [2][3]. Group 2: Implications for US-China Relations - The TikTok deal is viewed as a non-strategic concession from China to maintain a favorable relationship with President Trump, who may benefit politically from the deal [4][5]. - The joint venture is perceived as a gesture to appease the US, despite the ongoing tariffs, indicating a complex dynamic in US-China trade relations [10][12]. Group 3: Market Reactions - Oracle's shares have surged following the news of the joint venture, suggesting positive market sentiment towards technology stocks amid recent pressures [6][8]. - The overall technology sector is seen as healthy, with the deal potentially reviving trade relations that had recently soured [7][8].

Financial Developments - The EU has committed €90 billion to Ukraine, but there is no agreement on utilizing frozen Russian assets for the loan [2] - Oracle's stock has seen a significant decline, losing nearly half its market value since the end of September, but analysts suggest a potential recovery for long-term investors [6] Company-Specific News - TikTok has signed an agreement to divest its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors, valued at approximately $14 billion, expected to close in January [4] - The new venture will have a majority-American board and will store U.S. user data locally, with Oracle acting as the "trusted security partner" [5] - Oracle will also be responsible for retraining TikTok's content recommendation algorithm to prevent outside manipulation [5] Market Trends - Marijuana stocks experienced a sell-off following President Trump's rescheduling order [3] - FedEx reported positive earnings, while Nike is facing challenges [9] - The Bank of Japan has raised its benchmark rate to the highest level in 30 years [7]

The development is the latest in a saga that has played out over multiple administrations. ...

Core Insights - Significant developments in AI have occurred over the past week, with a mix of positive and negative outcomes [1] Group 1 - The recent advancements in AI technology have raised concerns within the industry [1] - Not all events related to AI in the past week have been favorable, indicating potential challenges ahead [1]