Market Overview - US stock futures advanced as investors moved past a challenging week, anticipating key economic data to shape interest rate expectations for 2026 [1] - Contracts on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 gained 0.4%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average contracts also rose by 0.4% [1] Sector Rotation - Concerns over inflated AI expectations have led investors to shift from tech stocks to value stocks, impacting the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500, while the Dow remained relatively insulated due to fewer tech components [2] - Many strategists view this sector rotation positively, indicating a broadening support for stocks beyond just tech leadership [2] Economic Data and Federal Reserve Outlook - The final full week of trading for the year is marked by optimism for stocks, with expectations of monetary and fiscal stimulus from the reshaped Federal Reserve under President Trump's influence [3] - Key economic data releases this week include the November jobs report, an inflation reading, and an update on October retail sales, all critical for assessing the Fed's future rate decisions [4] Federal Reserve Leadership Changes - The future direction of the Federal Reserve is under scrutiny as Chair Jerome Powell's term ends in May, with Kevin Hassett and Kevin Warsh as potential successors [5] - Hassett indicated he would consider Trump's policy views if appointed, but emphasized that the Fed's rate decisions would remain independent [5]

Market Overview - US stock futures advanced as investors moved past a challenging week, anticipating key economic data to shape interest rate expectations for 2026 [1] - Contracts on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 rose by 0.4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average also saw a 0.4% increase [1] Sector Rotation - Concerns over inflated AI expectations have led investors to shift from tech stocks to value stocks, impacting the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500, while the Dow remained relatively insulated due to fewer tech components [2] - Many strategists view this sector rotation positively, indicating a broader support for stocks beyond just tech leadership [2] Economic Data and Federal Reserve Outlook - The upcoming week is critical for assessing the potential for further Federal Reserve easing, with significant economic reports delayed due to a government shutdown [4] - Key reports include the November jobs report, an inflation reading for November, and an update on October retail sales, all of which are closely monitored by investors [4] Federal Reserve Leadership Changes - The future direction of the Federal Reserve may be influenced by the end of Chair Jerome Powell's term in May, with potential candidates like Kevin Hassett and Kevin Warsh being considered for the position [5] - Hassett has indicated he would consider Trump's policy views if appointed, but emphasized that the Fed's rate decisions would remain independent [5]

Core Insights - The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) experienced a significant outage that halted trading of futures and options, impacting multiple markets and contracts worth trillions of dollars [1][2] - The outage lasted for over nine hours, with services gradually resuming after the initial alert [1] - The incident highlights the critical role CME plays in global markets, as traders sought alternatives during the disruption [3] Trading Impact - The outage disrupted trading in S&P 500 futures, EBS foreign exchange platform, Treasuries, and US crude oil [2] - Traders reported difficulties in pricing equity index options and expressed concerns over liquidity when seeking alternatives to CME [3] Market Statistics - In October, CME averaged over 26 million derivatives contracts traded daily [3] - On November 20, open interest in CME's US Treasury futures and options reached an all-time high of 35.1 million contracts, with approximately $1 trillion of notional value traded daily in E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures [4] Historical Context - Exchange outages have become more frequent, with technology issues affecting pricing across global platforms [5] - Previous incidents include a June 2024 glitch at the New York Stock Exchange that erroneously halted trading on about 40 stocks and a disruption in Nasdaq premarket trading earlier that year [5] - The London Stock Exchange Group also faced multiple outages at the end of 2023 [6]

Trading of futures and options on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange was halted by a data-center fault, causing hours of disruption to markets across equities, foreign exchange, bonds and commodities. The malfunction was caused by cooling system problems at a data center in the Chicago area, according to facility operator CyrusOne. Engineering teams have restarted several chillers and deployed temporary cooling equipment, a spokesperson said, without giving a time for the resumption of normal operations. Mo ...

Group 1 - Tech-focused Nasdaq 100 futures increased by +0.3% in after-hours trading, driven by a rise in Alphabet shares following its earnings report [2] - Declines were observed in shares of Microsoft and Meta Platforms, impacting overall market sentiment [2] - Benchmark S&P 500 futures remained relatively unchanged during the same trading period [2]