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Seeking Alpha News Quiz
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Wall Street largely eked out weekly gains on Friday, with the benchmark S&P 500 index (SP500) finishing slightly positive. Sentiment improved due to delayed economic data that reinforced expectations of further Federal Reserve rate cuts. Meanwhile, oil was in focus after tensions escalated between the U.S. and Venezuela.
On Tuesday, traders received the November nonfarm payrolls report, which also contained information for October. The jobs report was delayed by the longest U.S. government shutdown in history. On the surface, November job growth was higher than anticipated. Delving deeper, October saw a big slump. The report indicated that the labor market was cooling.
Then, on Thursday, the delayed consumer price index data for November was published. Consumer inflation came in much softer than expected. However, experts noted issues with data collection, with one economist calling the report “whacky.”
Also grabbing the spotlight this week were oil prices (CL1:COM). President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela while also designating the Maduro regime as a foreign terrorist organization.
For the week, the S&P (SP500) added +0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (COMP:IND) inched up +0.5%. The blue-chip Dow (DJI) slipped -0.7%. Read a preview of next week’s major events in Seeking Alpha’s Catalyst Watch.
Seeking Alpha’s Calls Of The Week
D-Wave Quantum (QBTS): Early Quantum Computing Winner?
Bullish On Oracle (ORCL) – Enough Froth Is Wiped Out, I’m In.
Amazon (AMZN) Isn’t Behind. It’s Reloading For Its AI Wave.
Uber (UBER) Is A Long-Term, Steady Compounder At A Bargain.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals (RXRX): Most Surprising Call Of 2025.
Alphabet (GOOG) Emerging As The AI Winner, But It’s Overvalued.
Here’s Why I Am Downgrading Green Thumb Industries (GTBIF)
Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NCDL): Avoid This Value Trap.
Volaris (VLRS) Stock Recovered, But Macro Headwinds Remain.
Howmet Aerospace (HWM): I’m Downgrading This Gem To Sell.
Weekly Movement
U.S. Indices
Dow -0.7% to 48,135. S&P 500 +0.1% to 6,835. Nasdaq +0.5% to 23,308. Russell 2000 -1% to 2,527. CBOE Volatility Index -5.3% to 14.91.
S&P 500 Sectors
Consumer Staples -0.9%. Utilities -0.6%. Financials -0.2%. Telecom +0.1%. Healthcare +0.6%. Industrials -0.6%. Information Technology +0.5%. Materials +0.6%. Energy -2.9%. Consumer Discretionary +1.0%. Real Estate -1.4%.
World Indices
London +2.6% to 9,897. France +1.0% to 8,151. Germany +0.4% to 24,288. Japan -2.6% to 49,507. China +0.% to 3,890. Hong Kong -1.1% to 25,691. India -0.4% to 84,929.
Commodities and Bonds
Crude Oil WTI -1.3% to $56.52/bbl. Gold +1.4% to $4,387.3/oz. Natural Gas -3.1% to 3.984. Ten-Year Bond Yield -0.2 bps to 4.151.
Forex and Cryptos
EUR/USD -0.26%. USD/JPY +1.25%. GBP/USD +0.05%. Bitcoin -2.1%. Litecoin -5.2%. Ethereum -4.0%. XRP -6.0%.
Top S&P 500 Gainers
Sandisk (SNDK) +15%. Moderna (MRNA) +15%. Carnival Corporation & plc (CCL) +13%. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) +10%. Micron Technology (MU) +10%.
Top S&P 500 Losers
Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) -26%. Generac Holdings (GNRC) -14%. NIKE (NKE) -13%. ServiceNow (NOW) -10%. Lennar (LEN) -10%.
Where will the markets be headed next week? Current trends and ideas? Add your thoughts to the comments section.
