Market Overview - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 50,000 points for the first time, rising 1,206.95 points, or 2.47%, to finish at 50,115.67 [1][6] - The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also experienced gains, increasing by 1.97% and 2.18%, respectively [1][6] - Positive market sentiment was influenced by a report from the University of Michigan indicating the lowest median 1-year inflation expectations since January 2025 [5] Sector Performance - Nine of the 11 S&P 500 sector indexes rose, with the information technology index leading with a gain of over 3.7% and the industrials index up nearly 2.7% [10] - Chip stocks, including Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Broadcom, surged by more than 7% due to expectations of increased spending on AI data centers by major companies like Amazon and Alphabet [2][4] Company-Specific Developments - Amazon's stock fell nearly 7% after announcing plans to increase capital expenditures by over 50% this year amid the AI race [4] - Concerns arose among investors regarding potential competition in the AI space affecting margins for several software companies [5]

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market roared back on Friday, as technology stocks recovered much of their losses from earlier in the week and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now. The S&P 500 rallied 2% for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,206 points, or 2.5%, and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2%. Chip companies helped drive the widespread rally, and Nvidia jumped 7.8% to trim its loss for the week, which came int ...

In its statement, the Fed cited still-elevated inflation alongside solid economic growth for its decision. The U.S. central bank said the job market has "shown some signs of stabilization" and removed ‌language from its prior ‌statement saying that downside risks to employment had risen. Investors had widely expected the central bank to keep rates unchanged at 3.5%-3.75% and it said that eight out of 10 policymakers had voted to hold rates steady. After the statement, ‌traders boosted their bets that the F ...

Core Insights - The technology sector is poised for superior growth in 2026, particularly driven by demand for AI services, which is creating a robust environment for tech companies in the AI infrastructure market [1] Group 1: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - AMD is a leading chip supplier for consumer PCs and data centers, with revenue growing at an annualized rate of over 20% over the last two years [2] - Analysts project AMD's revenue to reach $34 billion in 2025, with a long-term growth outlook of 35% annually over the next three to five years [3] - AMD's data center revenue reached a record $4.3 billion in Q3, with expectations of over 60% annualized growth in the next five years [5] - The client segment revenue, driven by Ryzen processors, hit a record $2.8 billion in Q3, reflecting a 46% year-over-year increase [6] - AMD's gaming revenue was $1.3 billion last quarter, nearly tripling year-over-year, with long-term growth expected at over 10% annually [7] - AMD's portfolio includes adaptive computing chips, providing a competitive edge in AI solutions for edge computing devices [8] - Analysts expect AMD's earnings to grow at an annualized rate of 45% in the coming years, indicating multiple avenues for chip demand [9] Group 2: Microsoft - Microsoft has a vast ecosystem of productivity tools and cloud services, generating substantial revenue through subscriptions, including Microsoft 365 with over 400 million paid subscribers [10][13] - The company invested $69 billion in capital expenditures last year, funded by $147 billion in cash from operations, enabling the development of advanced AI chips and cloud software [12] - Microsoft Cloud revenue grew 26% year-over-year, reaching $46 billion, while Azure revenue increased by 40% year-over-year [12][14] - Operating profit grew 24% year-over-year, indicating healthy profitability alongside aggressive investments in AI infrastructure [15] - Analysts expect Microsoft's earnings to grow at a rate of 13% per year, positioning the company as a strong player in an AI-driven economy [15]

Economic Indicators - US November retail sales increased by +0.6% month-over-month, surpassing expectations of +0.5% [1] - US November PPI final demand rose by +3.0% year-over-year, exceeding expectations of +2.7% [1] - US December existing home sales rose by +5.1% month-over-month to a 2.75-year high of 4.35 million, stronger than the expected 4.22 million [4] Stock Market Performance - The S&P 500 Index decreased by -0.96%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index fell by -0.57%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index dropped by -1.53% [4] - Weakness in chip makers and the Magnificent Seven technology stocks is negatively impacting the broader market [3][15][16] - Energy producers are experiencing gains, with WTI crude oil reaching a 2.5-month high [17] Federal Reserve Commentary - Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari indicated that the US economy shows "resilience" and does not see the need for an interest rate cut this month [5] - Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson mentioned potential for modest rate adjustments later in the year if inflation moderates and growth stabilizes [6] International Trade - Better-than-expected trade news from China, with December exports rising by +6.6% year-over-year and imports increasing by +5.7% year-over-year, supporting global growth prospects [7] Earnings Season - Q4 earnings season is beginning, with S&P earnings growth expected to rise by +8.4%, and +4.6% excluding the Magnificent Seven technology stocks [10]

We recently published 10 Stocks Jim Cramer Talked About.  Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer talked about. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is one of the top-performing stocks in the semiconductor sector. Its shares are up by a whopping 247% over the past year. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU)’s importance in the chip industry, underscored by the fact that it is one of the few firms capable of providing NVIDIA with the latest memory chips for its GPUs, means that ...

Market Overview - U.S. equity markets are showing a mixed but generally optimistic tone in premarket trading, influenced by geopolitical developments and hopes for interest rate cuts [1] - Major indexes are indicating a positive start, with E-mini S&P 500 futures up approximately 0.25% to 0.32% and Nasdaq-100 futures leading gains at roughly 0.55% to 0.59% [2] Geopolitical Influences - A significant geopolitical event, the removal of President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, is creating uncertainty regarding global oil supply, although crude oil futures have seen a slight dip [3] - Safe-haven assets like gold have surged due to investor apprehension amidst the political upheaval [3] Major Market Indexes Performance - The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up by 0.66%, while the S&P 500 has gained 0.19%, reaching 6883 points, marking a 0.36% increase from the previous session [4] - The Nasdaq Composite is slightly down by 0.03%, indicating a rotation within the market as some sectors outperform others [4] Upcoming Economic Events - Key economic indicators to be released include International Trade in Goods, Retail Inventories, Wholesale Inventories, and the Pending Home Sales Index [5] - A critical U.S. jobs report is anticipated, which may influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy stance [6] Corporate Earnings Calendar - Major financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo are set to report quarterly results, which will be crucial for assessing corporate health [7] - Technology giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is also on the earnings calendar, alongside mining company BHP Group [7] Sector Developments - The artificial intelligence sector continues to drive market sentiment, with Baidu's shares rallying over 12% after its AI chip unit filed for an IPO [8][9] - In the electric vehicle sector, Tesla reported a 16% fall in fourth-quarter deliveries, while competitors like Nio, XPeng, and Li Auto saw stock price increases following their delivery reports [10] Notable Premarket Movers - Top gainers in premarket trading include Equifax up 2.50%, Paycom Software rising 1.99%, and Textron climbing 1.67% [11] - Decliners include IDEXX Laboratories down 3.06% and HCA Healthcare falling 2.00% [11]

Market Performance - The S&P 500 Index closed down -0.74%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index down -0.63%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index down -0.84%, marking a retreat to 1.5-week lows [1][2] - March E-mini S&P futures fell -0.71%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures fell -0.89% [1] Sector Performance - Weakness in chip stocks and data storage companies contributed to the broader market decline [2] - Mining stocks also slid, with gold prices falling to a 2.5-week low and silver prices plunging more than -9% [2] Economic Indicators - US weekly initial unemployment claims unexpectedly fell -16,000 to a 1-month low of 199,000, indicating a stronger labor market than anticipated [3] - Better-than-expected Chinese economic data showed the Dec manufacturing PMI rose +0.9 to 50.1, and the Dec non-manufacturing PMI rose +0.7 to 50.2, supporting global growth prospects [4] Seasonal Trends - Historical data indicates that the S&P 500 has risen 75% of the time in the last two weeks of December, with an average increase of 1.3% [5] - Market attention is focused on upcoming US economic news, with expectations for the Dec S&P manufacturing PMI to remain unrevised at 51.8 [5] Global Market Overview - Overseas stock markets showed mixed results, with the Euro Stoxx 50 closing down -0.08% and China's Shanghai Composite closing up +0.09% [6]

Group 1 - The US stock market is expected to remain volatile in 2026, with investors torn between the fear of missing out on the AI rally and concerns about a potential bubble [1] - The tech companies driving the AI investment boom have a significant impact on the market, with their performance affecting overall market volatility [2] - A recent Bank of America survey indicates that fund managers are primarily concerned about the possibility of a bubble, while also fearing the risk of missing out on further gains [3] Group 2 - Strategists predict that equity volatility will persist in 2026, as asset bubbles tend to become more unstable as they grow [4] - UBS strategists emphasize the importance of owning contracts that benefit from increased volatility in the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index, suggesting that such positions can be structured to be directionally neutral [5]

China’s internet search leader Baidu is seeing a fresh wave of bullish calls from analysts thanks to the possible listing of its chip unit Kunlunxin https://t.co/HcMjolsVdH ...