Gold is up nearly 1% on Monday, while risk-on assets such as cryptos and stocks are down amid macro uncertainty. Gold futures contracts are trading at $4,262.35, just 2.95% below their record high of $4,381.44. The precious metal is within $130 of setting a new all-time peak. Bitcoin's overnight crash has shrunk the total market cap of all cryptocurrencies by over 6% on the day, from $3.191 trillion to $3.016 trillion. Bitcoin is down 6% on the day and is currently trading at just under $86,000, according t ...

Market Overview - US stock futures declined on the first trading day of December, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures falling by 0.4%, S&P 500 futures down 0.5%, and Nasdaq 100 futures decreasing by 0.7% [1] - The declines followed a holiday-shortened week where the S&P 500 surged 3.7%, Nasdaq Composite jumped nearly 5%, and Dow logged a solid 3.2% gain [2] Seasonal Trends - December is historically one of the market's friendliest months, often boosted by the "Santa Clause rally" during the Christmas break [3] - Analysts are cautious about a booming holiday season this year due to unpredictable market behavior throughout the year [3] Economic Indicators - The Thanksgiving week rally was largely driven by rising hopes for an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve, with over 85% of bets on a quarter-point cut next week [4] - Economic releases are returning to normal after a government shutdown, with key reports including September's Personal Consumption Expenditures index and private reports on manufacturing and service sector activity [5] Corporate Earnings - Corporate earnings reports are expected this week from bargain retailers Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Five Below, as well as tech companies Salesforce and CrowdStrike [6]

Market Overview - U.S. stock markets closed higher on November 28, 2025, with all three major indexes extending a multi-day rally, driven by hopes for future interest rate cuts and positive economic data [1][12] - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rose 0.6% to 47,427.12, the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) increased by 0.7% to 23,214.69, and the S&P 500 (SPX) gained 0.5% to 6,812.61, marking the fifth consecutive session of increases for all three benchmarks [2] Weekly Performance - For the week, the Nasdaq surged 4.9%, the S&P 500 was up approximately 3.7%, and the Dow gained about 3.2% [3] - November was mixed; while the S&P 500 and Dow extended their winning streaks to seven months, the Nasdaq ended down 1.5%, attributed to reassessment of profitability timelines for major AI companies [3] Economic Data - Initial jobless claims decreased by 6,000 to 216,000, below the consensus estimate of 229,000, indicating a strong labor market [5] - Orders for durable goods rose by 0.5% in September, missing estimates, while non-defense capital goods orders increased by 0.9%, a key indicator for business spending [5] Upcoming Events - Market participants are monitoring the potential for another interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve next month, which is a significant driver of market optimism [4] - Kevin Hassett is a key contender for the next Fed Chairman, with an announcement expected from President Trump before Christmas, which could influence monetary policy expectations [4] Individual Stock Performance - Intel (INTC) surged 10.2%, leading the S&P 500, following speculation it could become a foundry supplier for Apple (AAPL) processors [7] - Eli Lilly (LLY) shares slipped 2.6%, giving back some recent gains despite a market cap exceeding $1 trillion due to sales of weight-loss drugs [8] - Nvidia (NVDA) shares slid 1.8% amid competitive concerns, while other tech stocks like Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) saw gains of 1.3% and 1.8%, respectively [9] Sector Performance - Retailers performed well on Black Friday, with Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), and Amazon (AMZN) finishing up roughly 1% to 2% [10] - Cryptocurrency-related stocks rose as Bitcoin moved above $90,000, with Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA), MicroStrategy (MSTR), and Coinbase Global (COIN) up by 7%, 5%, and 5%, respectively [11]

The market outlook for the next year is turning out to be optimistic, supported by favorable economic conditions. Following a turbulent year and a choppy November, the S&P 500’s 4.2% gain over the past seven days suggests a potential return of bullish sentiment.According to Reuters, the market rally ahead of Thanksgiving was supported by a rebound in tech and rising odds of a December Fed rate cut, which boosted investor appetite.This renewed optimism on Wall Street could revive investor confidence and nudg ...

Expectations for a December rate cut from the U.S. Federal Reserve have intensified, with major banks and market participants increasingly viewing it as the most likely scenario. J.P. Morgan recently reversed its stance, now predicting a 25-basis-point cut in December after previously forecasting that policymakers would wait until January (as reported by Reuters). This pivot follows remarks from key Fed officials indicating growing openness to an earlier move, alongside weak payroll and inflation data. In l ...

Key Takeaways OBT announced a $0.18 dividend for Dec. 16 amid ongoing market volatility.DDS set a $30 dividend for Jan. 5, 2026 as it continues multiple dividend increases.UBSI declared a $0.38 dividend for Jan. 2, 2026, marking another payout boost.Wall Street has been attempting to rebound over the past few sessions, following a period of volatility in October and November. However, concerns over high inflation, the economy’s health and uncertainty over a rate cut by the Federal Reserve in December contin ...

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a modestly higher open for the on Friday as futures trading recently resumed after a "cooling issue" at a data center halted trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange earlier in the morning.The trading disruption at the CME along with an early close on Wall Street may lead to below average trading activity going into the weekend.A lack of major U.S. economic data may also keep some traders on the sidelines ahead of next week's reports on manufacturing ...

By Ozan Ergenay LONDON (Reuters) -The U.S. dollar (DX=F) was heading for its worst weekly performance since late July on Friday as investors increasingly count on further monetary easing in December by the Federal Reserve, while Thursday's U.S. holiday ​thinned liquidity. An outage due to a cooling issue at CME Group's CyrusOne data centres halted trade on its widely-used currency platform and ‌in stock and commodity futures, though trading began to resume at 1200 GMT. "We are not expecting any signific ...

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) is witnessing a notable strengthening in market sentiment, with its Benzinga Edge’s Stock Rankings‘ momentum score climbing from 88.53 to 90.51 week-over-week.Check out INTC's stock price here.Intel Jumps In Top Decline Of Momentum GainsThis shift pushes the chipmaker into the top tier of relative strength, signaling that investors are prioritizing macroeconomic tailwinds over a brewing corporate espionage issue involving its foundry rival, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Lt ...

Activity is likely to be somewhat subdued amid thin volumes on Friday with trading scheduled to end at 1 PM ET. The economic calendar is blank and there are not many news from the corporate front to warrant significant moves.Futures were slightly up a little while ago. The Dow futures were up 0.11 percent, the S&P futures were up 0.10 percent, and the Nasdaq futures climbed 0.18 percent.The market remained shut on Thursday for Thanksgiving Day holiday.Trading in the futures segment was disrupted earlier du ...