Stock Indexes Mixed on Big Tech Weakness and Higher Bond Yields

Economic Indicators - US nonfarm payrolls are expected to increase by +70,000 in December, with the unemployment rate projected to decrease by -0.1% to 4.5% [1] - Average hourly earnings for December are anticipated to rise by 0.3% month-over-month and 3.6% year-over-year [1] - October housing starts are expected to increase by 1.8% month-over-month to 1.33 million, while building permits are projected to rise by 1.5% month-over-month to 1.35 million [1] Trade and Productivity - The US trade deficit unexpectedly shrank to -$29.4 billion in October, significantly better than the expected widening to -$58.7 billion, marking the smallest deficit in 16 years [2] - Q3 nonfarm productivity rose by +4.9%, close to expectations of +5.0%, representing the largest increase in two years [2] - Q3 unit labor costs fell by -1.9%, exceeding expectations of a -0.1% decline [2] Stock Market Performance - The S&P 500 Index is up +0.02%, while the Dow Jones is up +0.45%, and the Nasdaq 100 is down -0.77% [6] - Defense stocks are experiencing a rally following President Trump's announcement of plans to increase military spending to $1.5 trillion [5][14] - Chipmakers and data storage companies are underperforming, with significant declines in stocks like Sandisk and Western Digital [12][13] Interest Rates and Bonds - The 10-year T-note yield has risen by +3 basis points to 4.18%, influenced by positive labor market indicators [4][8] - European government bond yields are also increasing, with the 10-year German bund yield up +6.2 basis points to 2.874% [9] Company-Specific Movements - Costco Wholesale reported December comparable sales ex-gas rose by +6.3%, outperforming the consensus of +4.4% [17] - Generac Holdings saw an increase after Citibank upgraded the stock to buy, with a price target of $207 [17] - Revolution Medicines is down more than -4% after AbbVie stated it is not in talks to acquire the company [15]