Zhi Tong Cai Jing·2025-12-08 23:44Market Overview - The three major U.S. stock indices closed lower, with the Dow Jones down 215.67 points (0.45%) at 47739.32, the Nasdaq down 32.23 points (0.14%) at 23545.90, and the S&P 500 down 23.89 points (0.35%) at 6846.51. Chip stocks saw gains, with Micron Technology up over 4%, Broadcom up nearly 3%, Nvidia up nearly 2%, and AMD up over 1% [1] - European markets showed mixed results, with Germany's DAX30 up 17.87 points (0.07%) at 24046.01, while the UK FTSE 100 fell 21.92 points (0.23%) to 9645.09. The French CAC40 dropped 6.31 points (0.08%) to 8108.43, and the Euro Stoxx 50 rose slightly by 0.42 points (0.01%) to 5724.35 [2] - In the Asia-Pacific region, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.18%, the KOSPI increased by 1.34%, while the BSE SENSEX fell by 0.71% [2] Corporate News - Paramount Global announced a $108.4 billion cash offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, with both companies' stocks rising. This offer is seen as more attractive compared to Netflix's previous proposal [9] - IBM announced its acquisition of data streaming company Confluent for $11 billion, marking one of its largest acquisitions to date. This move is aimed at enhancing IBM's AI product offerings and is expected to significantly boost its software sales [11] - Apple’s chip chief, Johny Srouji, confirmed he will not be leaving the company, alleviating concerns about executive instability following recent departures [10] Economic Indicators - The U.S. dollar index (DXY) rose by 0.11% to 99.10, indicating a slight strengthening of the dollar against a basket of six major currencies [3] - The latest consumer inflation expectations from the New York Fed showed stability at 3.2%, with rising concerns about household financial conditions. Expectations for price increases in various sectors, including gasoline and food, were noted [7] Predictions and Market Sentiment - Oppenheimer's chief investment strategist projected the S&P 500 could rise to 8100 points by 2026, driven by strong corporate earnings and economic resilience, representing an 18% increase from current levels [6] - The market's expectations for future Federal Reserve rate cuts have decreased, with predictions now suggesting two rate cuts by 2026, down from three previously anticipated [7]