Monday, December 15, 2025
HomeStock MarketDow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures rise to usher in final trading week packed with data
Stock Market

Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures rise to usher in final trading week packed with data


US stock futures rose on Monday as investors put a bruising week behind them, waiting for an upcoming flurry of economic data to help expectations for interest-rate cuts in 2026.

Contracts on the S&P 500 (ES=F) and on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) moved up roughly 0.5% on the heels of closing sharply lower. Meanwhile, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) gained 0.4%, on track to retrace its Friday loss.

Recently, jitters about over-cooked AI expectations have prompted investors to jump out of tech and into value stocks. That has pressured the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) and the S&P 500 (^GSPC), but spared the Dow (^DJI) the worst, given it it includes fewer tech names.

But many strategists see the rotation as positive, the sign of a broadening in support for stocks from narrow tech leadership. Plus, any weakness in the AI trade could spur other sectors to rise.

Markets are now entering this year’s final full week of trading bolstered by Wall Street optimism for stocks heading into the new year. Analysts see President Trump’s influence on a reshaped Federal Reserve and his One, Big, Beautiful Bill as likely to deliver monetary and fiscal stimulus that is bullish for stocks and corporate earnings.

This week brings big tests of hopes for more Fed easing, with the release of pivotal economic data delayed by the US government shutdown. The monthly jobs report for November is due on Tuesday, while an inflation reading for the same month is slated for Thursday. An update on October retail sales is also on the packed docket, all closely watched as investors deliberate over whether policymakers are close to being done with rate cuts.

A key factor is how the Fed changes once Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends in May. Trump, who has called aggressively for lower rates, has flagged Kevin Hassett as frontrunner to replace him, with Kevin Warsh also in contention. On Sunday, White House economic adviser Hassett said he’d consider Trump’s policy opinions if chosen, but said the Fed’s rate decisions would remain independent.

On the corporate front, iRobot (IRBT) stock plummeted over 80% in premarket after the maker of Roomba vacuum cleaners filed for bankruptcy. The US company has struggled in the face of competition from cheaper Chinese rivals and Trump’s tariff push.

LIVE 7 updates

  • Not ‘very hawkish at all’: Wall Street optimistic on stock market rally in 2026 after Fed rate cut

    Yahoo Finance’s Ines Ferré reports:

    Read more here.

  • OpenAI is the 2025 Yahoo Finance Company of the Year

    OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) — the world’s most valuable startup — is the winner of Yahoo Finance’s 11th annual Company of the Year award.

    Three years ago, the company released ChatGPT 3.5. It’s been at the center of the artificial intelligence boom ever since.

    It’s hard to overstate the impact the company had on the investing narrative this year. OpenAI struck megadeals with Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Nvidia (NVDA). Its deal with AMD, for instance, sent the chipmaker’s stock soaring 24% in one day.

    OpenAI amassed $1.4 trillion in committed spending over the next eight years, and it converted to a for-profit company — with a potential trillion-dollar IPO on the horizon. OpenAI’s private company shares have surged 153% this year as it landed a $500 billion valuation, according to Yahoo Finance’s private company data.

    “It’s been a year where we have really hit kind of this day one of the next phase for OpenAI,” CFO Sarah Friar told Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi in an exclusive interview (video above). “And we’ve seen … a lot of the ecosystem really start to move toward us to help us create this future.”

    However, with so much riding on OpenAI and artificial intelligence in the markets, there are some big overhanging questions about the private company.

    First, can OpenAI’s growth keep up with its staggering valuation? OpenAI’s 2025 revenue was $13 billion. HSBC estimated that OpenAI will have a $207 billion funding gap by 2030, even if its revenue multiplies as projected.

    Second, can OpenAI hold on to its first-mover advantage? Models from Google (GOOG), Anthropic (ANTH.PVT), and others have gained traction in the space, leading OpenAI founder Sam Altman to declare “code red” in an internal memo earlier this month. And the demand for cloud services has benefited Big Tech incumbents.

    Read more here.

  • Jenny McCall

    Premarket movers: Tesla, Texas Instruments, Teradyne, and Doximity

    Tesla (TSLA) stock rose over 1% during premarket trading on Monday. According to a report from Reuters, the board of directors has earned more than $3 billion through stock awards, an amount that far exceeds the value of those given to some of the biggest US technology firms.

    Texas Instruments (TXN) stock fell 2% before the bell on Monday after receiving a downgrade to Sell from Buy from analysts at Goldman Sachs. The analysts cut their the price target to $156 from $200.

    Teradyne, Inc. (TER) stock rose 4% during premarket trading on Monday. The technology company’s shares closed 5% down on Friday. Its stock has been up 58% so far this year.

    Doximity Inc. (DOCS) stock rose almost 4% before the bell today. The healthcare group has seen its stock price fall 16% this year.

  • Roomba maker iRobot files for bankruptcy; stock nosedives

    iRobot (IRBT) stock cratered in premarket after the maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner declared bankruptcy on Sunday. Shares were trading below $1 apiece, down over 80% on Monday morning.

    The struggling US company said it will go private, once it has been bought out by China’s Picea Robotics, its main manufacturer.

    Reuters reports:

    Read more here.

  • Trump’s Fed pick comes into focus, economic data backlog clears: What to watch this week

    Yahoo Finance’s Jake Conley takes a look at what investors need to know this week.

    He reports:

    With another 25 basis point cut in the rearview for the Federal Reserve, attention is likely to focus on machinations around the next Fed chair to replace Jerome Powell, with reports late Friday suggesting Trump sees either Kevin Hassett or Kevin Warsh being named to the post.

    The week’s economic calendar will also continue to work through the backlog of delayed data from the government shutdown, with the November jobs report set for release on Tuesday and November inflation data due out Thursday morning.

    In the corporate world, Wednesday will see Micron (MU) report quarterly results, while investors on Thursday will get results from Accenture (ACN), NIKE (NKE), FedEx (FDX), and Olive Garden owner Darden Restaurants (DRI).

    … The Federal Open Market Committee’s quarter-point rate cut on Wednesday marked the third such rate cut in 2025 and the most divisive of the year among the committee, with three dissents split across both sides of the move.

    Now, market attention is turning to the potential for 2026 cuts — the Fed is projecting only one — and the drama around who President Trump will choose to replace Chair Jay Powell when his term ends in May.

    Read more here.

  • AI fears are fueling a welcomed stock market rotation away from Big Tech

    A trading week that ended with a thud also marked a turning point,

    Yahoo Finance’s Hamza Shaban reports:

    A trading week that ended with a thud also marked a turning point. Markets showed signs that the next leg upward won’t require Big Tech to lead the way.

    Muscular corporate results and outlooks from a broadened set of sectors have powered lofty expectations. Projected returns for the next year are driving the growth story, and the latest Fed rate cut has further emboldened a move into cyclical names.

    “The first eight months of the year the market was dominated by momentum and AI plays; since then, the market has shifted as valuations, sustainability around margins, and debt controversy developed around the technology sector,” said Eric Teal, chief investment officer for Comerica Wealth Management, in a note on Thursday.

    But weakened tech enthusiasm leaves space for investor sentiment and returns to improve.

    And from the perspective of Wall Street bulls, the more muted mood reflects a moment for the market to catch its breath, and suggests there’s room for investors to continue the rally.

    … Some weakness in the AI trade could spur other sectors to rise. As Thomas Shipp, head of equity research for LPL Financial, said in a note earlier this week, an increase in volatility and a retreat from the AI theme may be required for value stocks to outperform next year.

    The broadening out will also be spurred on by an accommodating Fed, and a long period of small caps lagging behind their larger siblings, said Teal.

    Read more here in the takeaway from Morning Brief.

  • Jenny McCall

    Gold climbs near record on haven flows and US rate cut bets

    Gold rose for a fifth straight day on Monday, climbing near a record high. The rally was supported by bets on more interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. It was also supported by a pullback in tech stocks, which have been seen as risky after bold spending on AI.

    Bloomberg News reports:

    Read more here.



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