Market Overview - Wall Street's major equity averages ended positively, with Carnival (CCL) surging over +9% after better-than-expected Q4 adjusted EPS and above-consensus FY26 adjusted EPS guidance [2] - Chip stocks rallied, with Micron Technology (MU) climbing about +7% and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) rising more than +6% [2] - Oracle (ORCL) advanced over +6% after signing agreements with TikTok and ByteDance for a new joint venture [2] - Nike (NKE) was the top loser on the Dow, plunging more than -10% due to expected sales drop amid weakness in China [2] Economic Indicators - U.S. existing home sales rose +0.5% month-over-month to a 9-month high of 4.13 million in November, but fell short of expectations [6] - The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for December was unexpectedly revised lower to 52.9, weaker than the expected 53.5 [6] Federal Reserve Insights - New York Fed President John Williams indicated no urgency to lower interest rates, citing recent jobs and inflation data [7] - Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack expressed that there is no need to change interest rates for several months following recent cuts [8] - U.S. rate futures show an 80.1% chance of no rate change and a 19.9% chance of a 25 basis point cut at the Fed's January meeting [9] Upcoming Economic Data - Key U.S. economic data releases this week include the initial estimate of third-quarter GDP, Durable Goods Orders for October, and the Fed's industrial production reports for October and November [10] - The Commerce Department will only publish two readings for the third-quarter GDP due to a government shutdown [10] International Market Developments - The Euro Stoxx 50 Index is down -0.22%, with food and beverage stocks underperforming while mining and technology stocks advanced [12] - U.K. GDP growth was reported at +0.1% quarter-over-quarter and +1.3% year-over-year, in line with expectations [13] - Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Index closed sharply higher, buoyed by a weaker yen and Wall Street's rally [15]

U.S. stock futures rose on Wednesday after Tuesday’s mixed close. Futures of major benchmark indices advanced.November's delayed and distorted jobs report, released on Tuesday, failed to provide clarity, widening the divide among Wall Street economists debating whether the rise to 4.6% unemployment signals a controlled cooling or the start of a “hiring recession.” Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.16% and the two-year bond was at 3.50%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets p ...