Stocks Mixed with Energy Producers Higher and Homebuilders Lower

Economic Indicators - Weekly initial unemployment claims in the US are expected to decrease by 11,000 to 225,000 [1] - November CPI is projected to rise by 3.1% year-over-year, while core CPI is expected to increase by 3.0% year-over-year [1] - Existing home sales for November are anticipated to rise by 1.2% month-over-month to 4.15 million [1] - The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for December is expected to be revised upward by 0.2 to 53.5 [1] Mortgage Applications - US MBA weekly mortgage applications fell by 3.8% for the week ending December 12, with the purchase mortgage sub-index down by 2.8% and the refinancing mortgage sub-index down by 3.6% [2] - The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased by 5 basis points to 6.38% from 6.33% in the previous week [2] Stock Market Movements - Homebuilding stocks are experiencing declines, led by a 3% drop in Lennar after reporting weaker-than-expected Q4 EPS [4][13] - Energy producers are rising, with WTI crude oil increasing by over 1% following President Trump's announcement of an oil blockade on Venezuela [5][12] - Mixed performance in stock indexes: S&P 500 down by 0.05%, Dow Jones up by 0.43%, and Nasdaq down by 0.33% [6] International Markets - Overseas stock markets show mixed results, with the Euro Stoxx 50 down by 0.21%, Shanghai Composite up by 1.19%, and Nikkei Stock 225 up by 0.26% [7] Bond Market - The 10-year T-note yield increased by 2 basis points to 4.17%, influenced by rising bond yields in Japan [4][8] - The yield curve is steepening, which is generally bearish for T-note prices, as investors buy short-term government debt and sell long-term debt [9] Company-Specific News - Jabil Inc reported Q1 net revenue of $8.31 billion, exceeding consensus estimates, and raised its 2026 net revenue forecast to $32.4 billion [14] - Netflix shares rose by over 2% as Warner Bros. Discovery plans to reject a takeover bid from Paramount Skydance [16] - Progressive Corp's net premiums written fell by 12% month-over-month, leading to a decline of over 3% in its stock [17]