Morning Brief

Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Sozzi tracks several of the day's top trending stock tickers, including SoftBank's (9984.T, SFTBY) $4 billion acquisition of data center infrastructure firm DigitalBridge Group (DBRG), Intel (INTC) completing its stock sale to stakeholder Nvidia (NVDA), and the Wall Street Journal reporting Lululemon (LULU) founder Chip Wilson is staging a proxy battle by nominating three new board member candidates. Takeaways: Gold prices, along with silver, are sliding below the precious metals' recent record highs.  Bitcoin (BTC-USD) is hovering below $90,000 after briefly touching above the milestone.  US stock futures are wavering in Monday's pre-market trading in the final trading week of 2025.  The US stock market will be closed this Thursday for New Year's Day. Yahoo Finance's flagship show, Morning Brief, is your go-to source for smarter investing and market moves. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US stocks headed into the post-Christmas session with thin volumes and major indexes hovering near record highs as investors track the Santa Claus rally window. Precious metals added to risk-on sentiment, with gold and silver at record levels and miners outperforming over the past month. The AI trade stayed front and center after Nvidia (NVDA) struck its largest acquisition to date, agreeing to pay roughly $20B for assets from AI chip startup Groq. Wedbush’s Dan Ives framed the deal as another signal that AI infrastructure spending remains durable into 2026. Ives also reiterated his bullish stance on Tesla (TSLA), pointing to autonomy, robotics, and “physical AI” as the longer-term value drivers. Macro risk is creeping back into the narrative. Steward Partners’ Jason Bonfield flagged 2026 uncertainties tied to tariffs, a potential Fed leadership change in May, and midterm election dynamics, arguing investors should avoid complacency and be prepared to rebalance into volatility. Trending tickers include Nvidia (NVDA) and Micron (MU). Takeaways: Santa rally optimism persists amid light holiday trading Record metals prices support the broader risk backdrop Nvidia’s Groq asset deal reinforces AI capex momentum Tesla’s autonomy thesis remains a 2026 flashpoint Policy and political risks are shaping next year’s playbook Yahoo Finance's flagship show, Morning Brief, is your go-to source for smarter investing and market moves. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US stocks were little changed on the holiday-shortened session after the S&P 500 closed at a record, with investors tracking the Santa Claus rally window into early January. Commodity strength stayed a key backdrop, keeping inflation and rate expectations in focus as traders look ahead to 2026 policy signals. Strategists argued the AI trade still matters, but leadership may broaden from “AI cost centers” to “AI beneficiaries,” as adoption lifts productivity and margins beyond megacap tech. They also flagged potential 2026 rotation across sectors and styles, including equal-weight exposure as mega-cap earnings growth cools. On the macro tape, the panel pointed to resilient consumer spending led by higher-income households, with liquidity conditions, wage gains, and productivity trends shaping the 2026 rates path. Dividend payers and healthcare were framed as under-owned areas that could re-rate if cash yields fade with Fed cuts. Trending: BP (BP) in a $10.1B lubricants JV deal, Sanofi (SNY) to buy Dynavax (DVAX), and UiPath (PATH) added to the S&P MidCap 400. Takeaways: Markets are in Santa-rally watch mode after a record S&P 500 close. Investors are debating AI leaders vs. the next wave of AI adopters. Rotation and diversification are the core 2026 positioning call. Consumer resilience and productivity are the key macro swing factors. Deal news and index inclusion are moving single-name action. Yahoo Finance's flagship show, Morning Brief, is your go-to source for smarter investing and market moves. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US markets opened softer after Q3 GDP printed at 4.3%, reviving the idea the Fed may have less room to cut early in 2026. Investors now pivot to thin holiday liquidity, the next data points, and whether earnings can clear rising expectations. AI leadership remains the focal point: Nvidia (NVDA) has added about 5% over the last 5 sessions as Dan Ives framed the cycle as “year 3” of a multi-year buildout, while Marianne Bartels argued 2026 looks like a volatility-heavy “reset” that still sets up a longer bull run for semis. The risk today is not the theme, it is the bar. Commodities are the other momentum pocket: copper hit a fresh record above $12,000/ton and gold broke through $4,500/oz, with Bartels flagging a broader metals breakout. Trending tickers: Novo Nordisk (NVO) on FDA approval for a weight-loss pill, with Eli Lilly (LLY) close behind. Takeaways: Strong GDP revived “higher for longer” rate sensitivity. Semis can lead in 2026, but expect a reset-style drawdown. Metals are acting like a FOMO trade with real supply constraints. GLP-1 competition is accelerating from injections to pills. Watch expectations, not narratives, into early 2026. Yahoo Finance's flagship show, Morning Brief, is your go-to source for smarter investing and market moves. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US stock futures edged higher into a holiday-shortened week, with investors still looking for a late-year Santa Claus rally and a quieter, lower-volume tape. Sentiment is also reacting to Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammock signaling no urgency to cut rates for several months, keeping the inflation debate in focus. Crypto’s “everything went right, price still fell” narrative is front and center: Bitcoin is fighting key technical levels while investors watch a potential index-policy inflection around Strategy (MSTR) and other digital-asset-treasury companies. Meanwhile, gold and silver are making new highs, reframing the “digital gold” pitch as central-bank demand and reserve diversification keep physical metals bid. Stock-specific movers and 2026 frameworks leaned into deal and growth themes: Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) tracked the Paramount bid dynamics, Nvidia (NVDA) rose on China shipment chatter, and Clearwater Analytics (CWAN) jumped on a take-private. Investors also heard a “layup bets” approach favoring healthcare enablers over insurers. Takeaways: Futures pointed higher in thin, holiday trading. Rate-cut timing remains constrained by inflation focus. Bitcoin faces technical pressure amid index-rule uncertainty. Metals strength is challenging the “digital gold” narrative. 2026 screens emphasized healthcare infrastructure and select M&A. Yahoo Finance's flagship show, Morning Brief, is your go-to source for smarter investing and market moves. Thoughts? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices