Joining me now to discuss all of this is Dana Peterson, the chief economist over at the conference board alongside our own CNBC senior economics reporter, Steve Leeman. Steve, let's start with you first. We had a lot of data today and it does paint that very mixed picture.So, what exactly was the takeaway and what does this mean for rates next week or two weeks. >> Well, a bit of older data, but as I've said, old data is better than no data. Um I I think what it does is it it it sets or reduces the uh expec ...

Market Overview - The US trading day shows mixed results with the Dow up approximately 140 points, while the S&P 500 remains relatively unchanged and the NASDAQ down by about 0.4% [1] - November consumer confidence data from the Conference Board came in lower than expected at 88.7%, compared to an estimate of 93.3% [1] Alphabet and Nvidia - Alphabet's market cap is approaching $4 trillion, currently at approximately $3.394 trillion, with shares up by 2% following reports of Meta purchasing Tensor Processing Units from Google instead of Nvidia [1] - Nvidia's shares are down by 6%, contributing to a decline in the semiconductor sector, with ARM down nearly 5% and AMD down 8% [1] Retail Sector Performance - Retailers are reporting mixed earnings, with Kohl's shares up 34% after announcing a permanent CEO and strong earnings, while Abercrombie shares rose by 22% despite a poor year-to-date performance [1] - Dick's Sporting Goods reported a 5.7% increase in comparable sales, but its stock is under pressure due to concerns over its acquisition of Foot Locker [1][2] - Best Buy's same-store sales increased by 2.7%, marking its best performance in a while, driven by strong product cycles in computing and gaming [2] Consumer Spending Trends - Mastercard's report indicates that Americans are expected to spend 3.6% more on holiday shopping in 2025 compared to the previous year, despite concerns over affordability [2][3] - Inflation for holiday goods is running just above 2%, suggesting real spending growth is occurring [3] Airline Industry Insights - Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian highlighted the challenges faced due to a government shutdown, which caused significant disruptions in flight operations [5][6] - The airline industry is experiencing staffing shortages and aging infrastructure issues, which need modernization to improve efficiency and safety [5][6] Alibaba's Financial Performance - Alibaba reported a 5% quarterly revenue gain, with a 34% increase in its AI division, but earnings fell by 72% due to heavy investments in AI and quick commerce [6] - The company faces challenges in achieving profitability despite strong revenue growth, raising questions about the sustainability of its investment strategy [6]

Speaking of retail, consumer confidence data just crossing now. Let's get to Rick Santelli on that. Hey, Rick.>> Yes, these are November numbers on the headline. We're expecting a number right around 93. Big miss here.88.7%, the weakest since April, Liberation Month. And if we look in the rearview mirror, there is something. We do see an upgrade of last month from 946 to 95.5% on the present situation.126.9% another miss although a positive revision 129 to 131 126.9% the weakest since March of 21 and on the ...

Just in time for the holidays, many U.S. employers have doled out pink slips. This recent move left thousands of Americans jobless and could have a ripple effect on the economy as a whole. Read This: What Class Do You Actually Belong To? The Income Breakdown Might Shock You Trending Now: 9 Low-Effort Ways To Make Passive Income (You Can Start This Week) Some of the cuts included 14,000 corporate jobs at Amazon, 48,000 operational and — mostly — management positions at UPS and around 1,800 corporate jobs a ...

Economic Overview - The U.S. economy is facing multiple challenges, including significant job cuts by major corporations, plummeting consumer confidence, and a historic freight company's bankruptcy [2][4] - The wealth gap is widening, with older demographics holding a significant portion of household equities [7][9] Corporate Restructuring and Job Losses - Tyson Foods is restructuring its beef operations, closing a major plant in Lexington, Nebraska, resulting in approximately 3,200 job losses, and reducing operations in Amarillo, Texas, affecting another 1,700 workers [3][8] - The company projects losses between $400 million and $600 million for its beef segment in fiscal year 2026 due to declining cattle supplies and high beef prices [3] Consumer Confidence and Job Market - U.S. consumer sentiment has dropped to 50.3 in October, the second-lowest level recorded, indicating widespread pessimism among households [5][8] - Job loss expectations among 18-34-year-olds are near record highs, with a 6.6% unemployment rate for new college graduates over the past year [6][8] Bankruptcy and Industry Strain - Port Elizabeth Terminal & Warehouse Corp., a 101-year-old freight company, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing surging business costs as a primary driver [4][8] - The logistics industry is experiencing a "Great Freight Recession," characterized by reduced shipping demand and rising operational expenses [4] International Travel Disruptions - Air China plans to significantly reduce flights between Chinese and Japanese cities, citing "plane availability," but this decision may also be influenced by rising political tensions [10]

US stocks climbed on Friday during a turbulent session amid rising optimism for a December interest rate cut, while bitcoin (BTC-USD) kept tumbling amid a brutal stretch for cryptocurrencies. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) put on more than 1%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) added 1.2%, reversing losses for the two gauges earlier in the trading day that had wiped out initial gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose around 1.5%, or near 700 points. Stocks had closed sharply lower on Thursday ...

skis. I don't think so. >> A lot of it comes back to the depreciation of GPUs.>> Exactly. >> Which you can have a debate about for I don't know how long, you know. Is it 5 years. Is it 7 years. Is it two years.>> Well, at 40 it was a good debate. At 11, I don't know. But it does matter.We have the most important guest tomorrow. Michael straight shoes and he's got to put a tie on the t-shirt. It just doesn't work for him.That's a huge signal tonight. And let's get the opening bell here in the CNBC realtime e ...

Core Insights - The U.S. stock market is at new highs, but consumer confidence is at recession-level lows, indicating a disconnect that suggests underlying market fragility [1][3][5] - The median value of stock market investments has exceeded $300,000 for the first time, tripling since April 2020, reflecting inflated personal balance sheets despite weak household sentiment [2][4] - Consumer sentiment is currently lower than during the troughs of all eleven U.S. recessions since the 1950s, highlighting a reliance on inflated asset values rather than genuine income growth [3][5] Market Analysis - The steep increase in median equity values since the pandemic has broken the historical pattern where wealth and sentiment typically move together during downturns [4] - Divergences between wealth metrics and real economic sentiment often occur near market peaks, raising concerns about the sustainability of current valuations [5][6] - Despite the S&P 500 reaching new highs above 6,700, there remains caution among some Wall Street analysts regarding the broader market outlook [8]

Core Insights - Berkshire Hathaway remains cautious about market conditions, accumulating a record cash reserve of $381.7 billion while profits increased [1][2] - The company has sold more stocks than it has purchased for 12 consecutive quarters, maintaining an equity portfolio valued at $283.2 billion [1][2] - Operating profit for the third quarter rose 34% to $13.49 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while net income increased 17% to $30.8 billion [2][7] Financial Performance - Revenue growth was limited to 2%, which is slower than the overall growth rate of the U.S. economy [2] - Lower insurance losses contributed to the increase in operating profit, which translates to approximately $9,376 per Class A share [2][7] Market Position and Strategy - Economic uncertainty and declining consumer confidence have negatively impacted sales growth in various sectors, including homebuilding and consumer goods [3] - Berkshire Hathaway has not repurchased any of its own stock for five consecutive quarters, despite its stock price lagging behind the broader market [2][3] Leadership Transition - Warren Buffett is preparing to step down as CEO after a six-decade tenure, with Vice Chairman Greg Abel set to take over [4] - Abel is expected to adopt a more hands-on management style, though the future use of the company's cash reserves remains uncertain [4] Recent Transactions - Berkshire Hathaway plans to allocate $9.7 billion of its cash to acquire Occidental Petroleum's OxyChem chemicals business, a deal announced on October 2 [5]

Economic Indicators - U.S. consumer confidence declined by 1.0 point to 94.6 in October, reflecting concerns over a softening labor market and high living costs [2][7] - The Expectations Index fell by 2.9 points to 71.5, remaining below the 80-point threshold that often signals an impending recession [2] - The unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, the highest since October 2021, with only 22,000 jobs added in August and 79,000 in July [2] Corporate News - UnitedHealth Group (UNH) raised its 2025 earnings outlook, projecting adjusted net earnings of at least $16.25 per share and net earnings of at least $14.90 per share [3][7] - The company reported third-quarter 2025 revenues of $113.2 billion, a 12% year-over-year increase, with UnitedHealthcare revenues climbing 16% to $87.1 billion [3] - Despite the positive outlook, UnitedHealth anticipates significant pressure on its Medicaid business in 2026 [3][7] Monetary Policy - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) confirmed that recent interest rate cuts are effectively easing borrowing costs, with the Official Cash Rate (OCR) lowered by 50 basis points to 2.5% [4][7] - Financial conditions in New Zealand have improved, with credit flowing more easily across the economy [4] Legal and Regulatory Issues - Edison International (EIX) faces potential liability related to the Eaton Fire, with the U.S. Department of Justice suing Southern California Edison for over $40 million in costs [5] - The company's valuation has reportedly dropped from $30 billion to $22.6 billion since the fires [5] European Politics - Centrist groups in the European Parliament are demanding significant changes to the proposed €2 trillion seven-year budget for the EU, citing concerns over renationalization of funds and lack of parliamentary oversight [6][7]