New Zealand Budget Outlook Shows Prolonged Deficits Despite Economic Recovery Hopes 
Gold Prices Slip Slightly in Asia as Silver Nears Record Highs on Dovish Fed Outlook 
Fed Rate Cut Signals Balance Between Inflation and Jobs, Says Mary Daly 
Gold and Silver Prices Dip as Markets Await Key U.S. Economic Data 
Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Weakens Ahead of Key U.S. Data 
Dollar Struggles as Markets Eye Key Central Bank Decisions and Global Rate Outlooks 
China’s November Economic Data Signals Slowing Industrial Output and Weak Consumer Demand 
ASX Shares Slide After ASIC Imposes A$150 Million Capital Requirement 
Australian Consumer Sentiment Slumps in Early December as Inflation Fears Resurface 
South Korea Extends Bond Market Stabilization Measures Amid Rising Financial Risks 
U.S. Dollar Slips Near Two-Month Low as Markets Await Key Jobs Data and Central Bank Decisions 
Bank of Korea Downplays Liquidity’s Role in Weak Won and Housing Price Surge 
Asian Stocks Slide as Central Bank Decisions and Key Data Keep Investors Cautious 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
Russia Stocks End Flat as Energy and Retail Shares Show Mixed Performance 
Wall Street Futures Slip as Tech Stocks Struggle Ahead of Key US Economic Data 
China’s Small Bank Consolidation Struggles as Profits Fall and Risks Persist 
U.S. stock index futures remained largely unchanged Wednesday night as investors weighed mixed tech earnings and escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. Wall Street saw modest gains during the session, supported by easing Treasury yields.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) led a rally in chip stocks, offsetting Alphabet’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) sharp 7% drop after weaker-than-expected cloud revenue. The S&P 500 Futures held at 6,088.0 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures dipped to 21,758.75 points. Dow Jones Futures remained flat at 45,011.0 points.
Stocks climbed as purchasing managers index data signaled a cooling U.S. economy, fueling speculation that the Federal Reserve might ease rates. However, fresh U.S. tariffs on China and Beijing’s retaliation kept markets uneasy. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) slipped on reports of a Chinese probe into its App Store.
Wall Street closed higher, with the Dow up 0.7% to 44,873.22 points, the S&P 500 gaining 0.4% to 6,061.47, and the Nasdaq Composite rising 0.2% to 19,692.33. Meanwhile, strong ADP nonfarm employment data stoked fears of a robust jobs report that could delay rate cuts.
Chipmakers Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) and Arm Holdings (NASDAQ: ARM) saw steep declines after issuing underwhelming forecasts. Qualcomm dropped over 4% as it projected no revenue growth in 2025 following its expired Huawei licensing deal. Arm slid more than 6% after its earnings outlook merely matched Wall Street expectations, dampening hopes for AI-driven demand.
Investor attention now turns to Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) upcoming earnings and the official nonfarm payrolls report for further market direction.
