Gold, Silver Spike To Record Highs As Fed Independence Falters: What's Moving Markets Monday?

Group 1: Precious Metals Market - Gold prices surged 2.5% to $4,620 an ounce, reaching an all-time high, while silver increased over 7% to $86 an ounce, marking a 12-month rally of over 190% [1] - The rise in precious metals followed the announcement of a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which investors interpreted as a threat to the Fed's independence [2] Group 2: Stock Market Performance - Major stock averages on Wall Street showed modest gains as investors awaited macroeconomic data and earnings reports, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics set to release December inflation data [3] - Financial stocks underperformed due to President Trump's proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10%, leading to significant declines in Capital One Financial Corp. (down 6.6%), American Express Co. (down nearly 5%), and Citigroup Inc. (down 3.5%) [4] Group 3: Individual Stock Movements - Vistra Corp. led the S&P 500 with a gain of over 6% following a previous surge, driven by optimism regarding a multi-year power contract with Meta Platforms Inc. [5] - MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings Inc. saw a notable increase of 9.34%, while other stocks like Pure Storage Inc. and Chewy Inc. also performed well [6] Group 4: ETF Performance - The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF remained flat at $638.74, while the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 0.16% to $494.25 [7] - The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund outperformed, increasing by 1.1%, whereas the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund lagged, declining by 1.0% [7]