Stock Index Futures Muted in Thin Pre-Christmas Trade, U.S. Jobless Claims Data on Tap

Economic Growth and Market Performance - The U.S. economy grew at a +4.3% annualized rate in Q3, surpassing expectations of +3.3% [3] - U.S. November industrial production rose +0.2% month-over-month, exceeding expectations of +0.1% [3] - The consumer confidence index fell to 89.1 in December, below expectations of 91.7 [3] - The Euro Stoxx 50 Index is up +0.03%, with the regional Stoxx 600 index hitting a new record high [7] - Japan's Nikkei 225 Index closed slightly lower, pressured by a stronger yen, marking its first decline in four sessions [11] Corporate Developments - Nvidia (NVDA) rose over +3%, leading gains in the Dow, while Amazon.com (AMZN) gained more than +1% [4] - ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) climbed over +5% after receiving multiple acquisition offers [4] - BP Plc (BP-.LN) rose as much as +1.4% after agreeing to sell a 65% stake in its Castrol unit for about $8 billion [7] - Dynavax (DVAX) jumped over +37% after Sanofi agreed to buy the vaccine maker for about $2.2 billion [13] - UiPath (PATH) climbed more than +8% after being added to the S&P MidCap 400 index [13] Market Sentiment and Future Expectations - Confidence in corporate earnings growth is bolstered by the strongest pace of economic growth in two years [2] - U.S. money markets are pricing in at least two Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2026 [2] - Investors are focused on U.S. Initial Jobless Claims data, with estimates at 224K [6] - The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note is at 4.160%, down -0.22% [6] International Developments - China's Shanghai Composite Index closed up +0.53%, marking its longest winning streak since July [9] - The Trump administration plans to impose tariffs on Chinese semiconductor imports, delaying the move until June 2027 [10] - Japan plans to issue new government bonds worth about $189 billion to finance a record-sized budget for the next fiscal year [11]