By Alex Financials

📉 U.S. Markets Slide as 2025 Nears End

Stocks on Wall Street slipped Monday to start the final trading week of the year, signaling investors are trimming positions in a typically thin, holiday-shortened session. Major indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all moved lower in early trading. The S&P 500 was down about 0.4 %, the Dow fell roughly 0.3 %, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost nearly 0.6 % in morning action. This comes as traders react to profit-taking after strong gains throughout 2025 and cautious positioning ahead of key reports and the release of the Federal Reserve’s minutes. U.S. energy stocks saw strength from rising oil prices, while precious metals — notably gold and silver — pulled back after making recent highs. US markets will be closed on Thursday for New Year’s Day.

📊 Tech Titans Weigh on Indexes

One of the biggest stories today is weakness among major tech names, which has contributed to the broader market’s pullback. $NVDA (NVIDIA Corporation) shares declined roughly 2 % as the AI chip maker’s rally cooled after recent strong performance, dragging sentiment in the tech sector. $TSLA (Tesla, Inc.) also slid near 2 % as investors digested ongoing developments in its future growth prospects, including discussions around robo-taxi deployments. Other influential tech and growth firms were mixed or lower in extended moves.

Meanwhile, despite the recent retracement, some analysts remain optimistic about parts of the tech space. For example, a note from Mizuho highlights that memory and AI-related hardware demand could benefit certain semiconductor and memory stocks into 2026 — especially for suppliers like Samsung, which may benefit from next-generation memory trends.

📈 Deal Activity Sparks Outperformance

Not all sectors are sliding. $DBRG (DigitalBridge Group) was among the top movers, surging nearly 10 % after news of a major acquisition by SoftBank Group. Digital infrastructure equities such as data centers and fiber networks drew attention, underlining M&A activity as a driver of idiosyncratic stock gains amid broader market caution.

🧪 Biotech Volatility and Healthcare Headlines

Biotech and pharmaceutical names saw heavy swings as well. Stocks such as $ULGX (Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical) and Mereo BioPharma tumbled sharply on negative clinical trial results, highlighting the binary risk that biotech investors face during trial readouts. This kind of sector-specific volatility contrasts with more stable moves in defensive and non-cyclical names.

🪙 Commodities & Macroeconomic Signals

Precious metals and commodities are part of today’s narrative too. Silver briefly hit a record above $80 per ounce before retreating, while gold also pulled back — movements driven by expectations for potential Fed rate cuts next year and broader macro uncertainty. Oil prices climbed amid geopolitical concerns, lifting energy stock groupings. These commodity price dynamics are affecting related equities (e.g., those tied to energy and mining) differently from the tech-driven weakness seen elsewhere in the market.

🌍 Global Markets and Sentiment

International markets reflected mixed trends:

• Asian stocks advanced on optimism around rate cuts and strong yearly returns.

• Indian benchmarks such as the Nifty50 and BSE Sensex ended lower, weighed by continued selling pressure and sectoral weakness.

• European stocks were modestly higher overall, with basic resources gains offsetting weakness in defence shares on renewed hopes of easing Ukraine war tensions.

📆 What Investors Are Watching Next

As markets navigate the last trading days of 2025:

• Fed minutes are due this week and could influence expectations around rate policy in 2026.

• Economic data — including jobless claims and home-sales figures — will be closely watched for clues on near-term growth and inflation.

• Flow into risk assets vs. safe havens (e.g., gold, silver, Treasury yields) will signal whether seasonal year-end rallies extend into January.

🧠 Bottom Line

Today’s market reflects a mix of profit-taking, sector-specific news, and macro caution as 2025 winds down. Tech stocks are lagging, deals and commodities are creating pockets of strength, and investors are bracing for key data and policy insights that could set the tone for 2026.