Market Opens Cautiously After Strong GDP Report; AI Sector Remains a Driving Force

Market Overview - U.S. stock markets opened cautiously on December 23rd, 2025, following a strong third-quarter GDP report, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dipping slightly while the S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) rose fractionally [1][2] - The S&P 500 is just 0.3% away from its all-time closing high, indicating strong year-end rally momentum, driven by technology and industrial sectors, particularly the artificial intelligence (AI) sector [2] Economic Data - The third-quarter 2025 GDP grew at an annualized rate of 4.3%, significantly above the forecast of 3.2%, marking the highest growth rate in two years [3] - Inflation accelerated, with the price index for domestic purchases rising 3.4% compared to 2.0% in the second quarter, suggesting that the Federal Reserve may not cut interest rates in the near future [3] Upcoming Economic Indicators - Investors are awaiting key economic indicators, including November's Durable Goods Orders, Industrial Production figures, and December's Consumer Confidence survey, which is expected to rise to 91.7 from 88.7 [4] AI Sector Developments - The AI sector remains a dominant theme, with projections indicating that AI infrastructure capital expenditure could exceed $1 trillion by 2028, and major companies are investing $380 billion in 2025 for AI infrastructure [5] Company-Specific News - Nvidia (NVDA) shares rose 1.5% after the approval of high-end AI chip sales to certain customers in China [6] - Alphabet (GOOGL) gained 0.9% following its acquisition of Intersect for $4.75 billion to expand data center capacity [6] - Novo Nordisk (NVO) shares surged over 7% after U.S. regulators approved a pill version of its weight-loss drug, Wegovy [6] - Micron Technology (MU) closed up 4% and gained an additional 0.5% at Tuesday's open [6] - Oracle (ORCL) rose 3.2% on Monday but slipped 1.5% at Tuesday's open [6] Broader Market Trends - Gold futures reached $4,530 an ounce, while silver also set new record highs [7] - Crude oil prices remained stable at around $58.05 a barrel, and the yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note declined to 4.15% [7] Corporate Developments - Paramount Skydance Corp. shares jumped 4.3% as Larry Ellison provided a $40.4 billion guarantee for its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery [11] - Dominion Energy (D) dropped 3.7% after the pause of offshore wind project leases [11] - Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT) rose 2.5% and 2.7% respectively after announcing plans for robotaxi services in London [11] - Microsoft (MSFT) received an "outperform" rating with a $625 price target, highlighting its role in AI development [11] - Tesla (TSLA) shares hit a record high of nearly $500 after a court victory regarding CEO Elon Musk's pay package [11]