{"id":11494,"date":"2025-12-26T13:07:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/stock-futures-winning-week\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T13:07:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T13:07:23","slug":"stock-futures-winning-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/stock-futures-winning-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Stock Futures Flat as Wall Street Eyes Winning Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>U.S. stock futures were little changed on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, as traders returned after the Christmas holiday and major indexes tracked for weekly gains. S&#038;P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures traded near unchanged, while Dow futures were about 45 points, or 0.1%, lower. For the week the S&#038;P 500 was up 1.4%, marking its fourth winning week in five; the Dow and Nasdaq were each more than 1% higher week to date. Markets had closed on Thursday for the holiday after the S&#038;P posted new intraday and closing records on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>S&#038;P 500 futures were roughly flat on Dec. 26, with the S&#038;P on pace for a 1.4% weekly rise \u2014 its fourth advance in five weeks.<\/li>\n<li>Dow futures slid about 45 points (0.1%) in early action; the Dow and Nasdaq were each up more than 1% for the week.<\/li>\n<li>Markets were closed Thursday for Christmas after the S&#038;P 500 set fresh intraday and closing highs on Wednesday.<\/li>\n<li>Premarket movers included Nvidia, which agreed to pay $20 billion for assets from AI startup Groq \u2014 its largest purchase to date.<\/li>\n<li>Memory names Micron and SanDisk jumped after a DigiTimes report that Samsung and SK Hynix plan roughly 20% price increases for HBM3E chips for 2026 deliveries.<\/li>\n<li>Retailer Ross Stores continued to expand physical footprint in 2025, opening 90 stores and lifting its shares more than 20% year to date, outpacing the S&#038;P\u2019s 17.9% advance.<\/li>\n<li>The period remains seasonally favorable: the Stock Trader\u2019s Almanac shows the S&#038;P averages a 1.3% gain between the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background<\/h2>\n<p>The U.S. market rally that carried the S&#038;P 500 to new records this week comes amid a mix of bullish momentum and lingering macro risks. Throughout 2025 investors have weighed technological advances, notably AI-led demand, against tariff concerns, inflation dynamics and the prospect of episodic U.S. political brinkmanship. Despite those headline risks, broad indices have largely advanced, producing multiple weekly gains late in the year.<\/p>\n<p>Seasonality also matters at this time of year. The so-called Santa Claus rally \u2014 historically the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year \u2014 has favored stocks since mid-20th century data collection. Market participants routinely monitor that window for momentum that can carry into January, though individual sector performance during that stretch can vary markedly.<\/p>\n<h2>Main Event<\/h2>\n<p>On the first trading day after Christmas, futures action was muted. S&#038;P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures hovered around unchanged while Dow futures opened slightly lower, reflecting selective profit-taking and position adjustments after a holiday-shortened week. Volume patterns were expected to be lighter than typical non-holiday sessions as institutional desks finish year-end flows.<\/p>\n<p>Corporate headlines shaped premarket moves. Nvidia announced it would pay $20 billion to acquire assets from AI chip designer Groq, a deal reported as the company\u2019s largest acquisition to date and one likely to further consolidate AI chip capabilities. Traders pushed Nvidia shares modestly higher on the report, treating the move as strategic for Nvidia\u2019s AI supply chain.<\/p>\n<p>Memory-sector stocks reacted to trade-press reporting that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix intend to raise prices for fifth-generation HBM3E chips by nearly 20% for 2026 deliveries. Micron rose roughly 2% and SanDisk climbed about 4% on those industry-sourced reports, reflecting investor focus on margin and pricing dynamics for high-bandwidth memory.<\/p>\n<p>On the retail front, Ross Stores\u2019 persistent opening of physical locations \u2014 90 new stores in 2025 across Ross Dress for Less and dd\u2019s Discount \u2014 continued to draw analyst attention. The chain\u2019s shares reached an all-time high earlier in December and its better-than-expected Q3 results plus raised Q4 guidance helped fuel the rally despite broader trade and tariff concerns.<\/p>\n<h2>Analysis &#038; Implications<\/h2>\n<p>Muting in futures does not necessarily signal weakness; it can reflect end-of-year position management and the thin volumes typical of the post-holiday calendar. The S&#038;P\u2019s 1.4% weekly rise and recent record closes suggest underlying breadth, but the market\u2019s ability to sustain gains will depend on early-2026 economic data, earnings trends and policy signals from the Federal Reserve.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia\u2019s reported $20 billion deal for Groq assets illustrates continued strategic consolidation in AI hardware. If completed, it could accelerate Nvidia\u2019s roadmap for specialized inference and training accelerators. For competitors and customers, the acquisition may alter negotiating dynamics for chips and software partnerships, and could prompt regulatory and integration scrutiny through 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Price increases for HBM3E, if confirmed and sustained, would support margins for memory suppliers but could feed through to higher component costs for AI hardware makers and cloud providers. Memory pricing is cyclical; a near-term uptrend supports supplier earnings but can pressure OEM margins unless product pricing or productivity offsets emerge.<\/p>\n<p>Retail resilience, exemplified by Ross Stores\u2019 store openings and the share gains that followed, underscores the uneven nature of the 2025 recovery: some discount and off-price retailers benefited from persistent consumer demand while peers retrenched on real estate. That divergence may matter for sector allocations in early 2026 as investors favor companies showing operational leverage amid uncertain macro variables.<\/p>\n<h2>Comparison &#038; Data<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Index \/ Item<\/th>\n<th>Move (Week-to-Date)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>S&#038;P 500<\/td>\n<td>+1.4% (week)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/td>\n<td>More than +1% (week); futures down ~45 pts intraday<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Nasdaq<\/td>\n<td>More than +1% (week)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Santa Claus window (historical)<\/td>\n<td>Avg. +1.3% for S&#038;P (last 5 days of year + first 2 of new year, since 1950)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The table highlights weekly gains and the historically strong seasonal window. While the S&#038;P\u2019s weekly gain is a clear numeric fact, the Dow and Nasdaq are described as \u201cmore than 1%\u201d week to date per the market summary; intraday futures moves reflect short-term positioning and can reverse as full trading volumes return.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions &#038; Quotes<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;2025 is coming to an end with a few more positives than negatives this year,&#8221; said Mark Newton, noting that markets have largely shrugged off headline risks as the year closed.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Mark Newton, Head of Technical Strategy, Fundstrat (quoted via CNBC)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Historically the S&#038;P averages about a 1.3% gain during the late-year Santa Claus window,&#8221; according to seasonal data widely used by traders and strategists.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Stock Trader\u2019s Almanac (industry data)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: Santa Claus Rally, Futures and HBM3E<\/summary>\n<p>The &#8220;Santa Claus rally&#8221; refers to a historical tendency for stocks to rise between the final five trading days of December and the first two of January; it is a seasonal pattern identified in long-term market data. Futures are contracts that let investors lock in prices for indices or assets and often lead price discovery before the cash market opens. HBM3E is a generation of high-bandwidth memory used in AI accelerators; price moves in HBM can materially affect margins for both memory suppliers and AI hardware makers.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<\/h2>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The DigiTimes report that Samsung and SK Hynix will raise HBM3E prices by nearly 20% is based on industry sources and awaits direct confirmation from the companies.<\/li>\n<li>The precise integration plan and regulatory timeline for Nvidia\u2019s reported $20 billion asset purchase of Groq have not been disclosed publicly in full detail.<\/li>\n<li>Whether this week\u2019s seasonal strength will transition into sustained January momentum depends on early-2026 economic releases and company earnings, which remain to be seen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>Markets reopened gently after the Christmas break with futures largely flat and major indexes set for a winning week. The week\u2019s headlines \u2014 a sizable Nvidia asset deal, memory-price reports and strong retailer results \u2014 show how company-level developments can drive sector rotations even when headline macro risks persist.<\/p>\n<p>Investors should watch confirmation of memory price moves, regulatory filings or disclosures around the Nvidia\u2013Groq transaction, and the early-January flow of economic data and earnings. Those items will likely determine whether late-2025 momentum carries into the new year or gives way to fresh volatility.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/12\/26\/stock-market-today-live-updates.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNBC \u2014 News article (market coverage and quotes)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stocktradersalmanac.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stock Trader\u2019s Almanac \u2014 Industry data\/seasonal study<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitimes.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DigiTimes \u2014 Trade publication (report cited on memory pricing)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/fundstrat.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fundstrat \u2014 Market research (Mark Newton commentary)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. stock futures were little changed on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, as traders returned after the Christmas holiday and major indexes tracked for weekly gains. S&#038;P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures traded near unchanged, while Dow futures were about 45 points, or 0.1%, lower. For the week the S&#038;P 500 was up 1.4%, marking its fourth &#8230; <a title=\"Stock Futures Flat as Wall Street Eyes Winning Week\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/stock-futures-winning-week\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Stock Futures Flat as Wall Street Eyes Winning Week\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Stock Futures Flat as Wall Street Nears Weekly Gain | NL","rank_math_description":"Stock futures were little changed Dec. 26 as traders returned from Christmas; S&P 500 sits up 1.4% for the week amid Nvidia deal news and memory-price reports. Read more.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"stock futures, Wall Street, S&P 500, Nvidia, HBM3E","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}