Core Viewpoint - The S&P 500 experienced a significant drop of over 100 points last week, disrupting expectations for a strong year-end rally in 2025 [1] Group 1: Market Analysis - The decline in the S&P 500 may be linked to margin calls in silver, indicating potential volatility in the commodities market [1] - The article highlights the importance of a proprietary trading system developed over 15 years, which incorporates various analytical methods including fractals, Elliott Wave, and macroeconomic drivers [1] Group 2: Analyst Background - The chief analyst at Matrixtrade, Andrew McElroy, has extensive experience in market analysis and manages a family portfolio of stocks and ETFs [1]

Group 1: Australian Tax and Transfer System - The Australian tax and transfer system has evolved, with the post-tax income of individuals aged 75 and above now matching the average income, a significant shift from 25 years ago when it was only 75% of the average [1] - Older Australians, particularly those over 60, now enjoy a post-tax income similar to mid-career working age Australians, which is much higher than that of Australians aged 18-30 [4] - The proportion of Australians over 65 paying tax has halved in the last 20 years, indicating a shift in the tax burden and benefits received by different age groups [6] Group 2: Economic Implications - The Australian Budget is facing a structural deficit, with negative cash balances projected for every year going forward, necessitating potential tax increases or government spending reductions [5] - The ANU Report suggests that budget repair should involve a mix of tax increases and spending reductions targeted at older Australians [6] Group 3: Market Performance - In December 2025, the ASX 200 increased by 3.3%, while the FTSE 100 rose by 2.2%, contrasting with a flat performance of the S&P 500 [7] - For the calendar year 2025, the ASX 200 was up 7%, the FTSE 100 increased by 21%, and the S&P 500 rose by 16%, despite the Slack Portfolio experiencing a negative performance of down 3.1% [8] Group 4: Portfolio Management - The Slack Portfolio has been negatively impacted by significant losses in key stocks, including CSL (-35%), Goodman Group (-17%), and Wisetech (-41%) [10] - Shares in Wesfarmers and Coles Group have been moved from the growth-oriented Slack Portfolio to a Stable Income Fund due to their relatively weak projected growth of 5%-10% [13]

Where are you, Santa? It’s been the same question for the past few years, as stocks have not staged much of a year-end rally despite the final week being historically bullish. The SPDR® S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) returned 1% in December, with the Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQ) finishing flat. For the year, US large caps returned 18%, outperforming their small and mid-cap peers, but lagging the international equity market. The Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) was down fractionally in 2025’s final month, while the Vanguard FTSE A ...

Market Overview - Major U.S. stock indexes, including the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq, ended the holiday-shortened week with solid gains, with the S&P 500 reaching fresh record highs and up approximately 18% in 2025 [2][4] - Precious metals, particularly silver and gold, saw new highs driven by strong demand and supply constraints [2] Technology Sector - Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) led technology gains, supported by a significant licensing agreement with AI-chip start-up Groq, enhancing its competitive position [3] - Micron (NASDAQ:MU) continued its year-long rally, becoming one of the top performers in the S&P 500 for 2025 [3] - Nvidia plans to start shipping H200 AI chips to China by mid-February, potentially reopening a major market previously affected by export restrictions [7] Retail and Space Stocks - D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, and IonQ experienced stock price increases due to a "Santa Rally" driven by retail investor momentum, with D-Wave's stock rising nearly 20% after its system was confirmed for a CES 2026 showcase [6] - Space-related stocks surged following President Trump's executive order aimed at enhancing U.S. dominance in space, with companies like Sidus Space and Rocket Lab benefiting from the optimism surrounding commercial space activities [8] Defense Sector - China imposed sanctions on several U.S. defense companies, including Boeing and Northrop Grumman, in response to a significant U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, which has raised tensions between the two nations [11] Oracle's AI Strategy - Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL) shares fell approximately 30% this quarter due to investor concerns over its aggressive AI infrastructure spending, despite adjusted earnings exceeding forecasts [12]

This live blog is refreshed periodically throughout the day with the latest updates from the market.To find the latest Stock Market Today threads, click here. Happy Wednesday. This is TheStreet’s Stock Market Today for Dec. 24, 2025. This post recaps the market day after the abbreviated holiday session. Update: 1:00 p.m ET Closing Bell The U.S. market is now closed. The market is shut early for Christmas Eve, but it still managed to hand bulls one more present ahead of the holiday: green, green, green. ...

And there it is: the Santa Rally which we predicted would begin a week ago after Abu Dhabi removed much of the AI capex fears festering the OpenAI ecosystem, the S&P has rocketed to a new record high on Tuesday, with stocks looking set for a quiet start to the abbreviated Christmas Eve session. As of 8:00am ET, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 contracts were little changed following four days of gains in US stocks which signal confidence among investors that 2026 will bring decent corporate earnings growth an ...

A hot economy and cooling jobs leave the Fed in a bind, Alibaba shows China may be the next frontier for Nvidia and AMD, more news to start your day. ...

gold bitcoin, gold all time high, silver, gold prices,. Photo by BeInCrypto Another day, another all-time high for precious metals. Gold, silver, and platinum all reached new record levels today. Market experts view this surge as a warning signal, pointing to declining trust in financial systems and persistent inflation risks. Meanwhile, the crypto community is assessing whether this momentum in precious metals could eventually translate into capital rotation toward Bitcoin in 2026. Gold, Silver, and Pl ...

GOLD PUSHING HIGHER!!!!Precious metals are bullish across all timeframesSILVER, PLATINUM, PALLADIUMTHIS IS THE SANTA RALLY BLOW OFF TOP WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ALL ALONG!!! https://t.co/vL3TY1EAH9 ...

Yardeni Research says get ready for even higher gold prices in 2026. - Getty Images Stocks are set for a muted session on the last full day of trading before the Christmas break, even if it’s a busy one datawise. We’re also one day away from the official start of the Santa Rally period — defined by the Stock Trader’s Almanac as the last five trading days of the current year and first two of the new year (see below chart for more). Stocks could definitely use a boost, considering December has been a relat ...