- At the beginning of the US session, the market was uncertain about the direction, but as the day progressed, it decided to rise. All major American indices remain in the green. The leader of the growth is Nasdaq100, whose contracts are up by over 0.7%. Russell is also performing well. Meanwhile, S&P500 and Dow are still in the positive, with gains limited to 0.4%.
- Investors were not short of information from the US economy today, as a series of significant macroeconomic data was published. The economy added 50,000 jobs, which turned out to be below expectations and previous readings. Unemployment fell from 4.5% to 4.4%.
- The market was expecting a verdict from the Supreme Court regarding Donald Trump's tariff policy, but it was postponed. It remains a factor of uncertainty.
- The Michigan consumer sentiment and inflation expectations index shows a picture of a relatively strong economy. All consumer sentiment indicators exceeded expectations, but this came at the cost of heightened inflation expectations.
- Intel is up about 10% today, driven by positive comments from Donald Trump about the company and its CEO.
- Meta will power its data centres with nuclear reactors from Oklo and Vistra. Both companies are up by nearly 10%.
- General Motors is incurring a $6 billion loss due to changes in US EV policy. The company is down about 3% today.
- European investors also had a good session. Most stock exchanges on the old continent are dominated by gains. The leader is the Dutch AEX, whose contracts are up by nearly 2%. The German DAX, French CAC40, and Polish WIG20 are also performing well, with gains of over 1%.
- The Spanish economy is red-hot, with industrial production in November rising by as much as 4.5%. In Germany, after accounting for seasonal fluctuations, industrial production is up by 0.8%.
- ASML has gained the trust of analysts at HSBC, with the lithography machine manufacturer rising by over 3% after the investment bank raised its target price for the stock.
- Bad day for the Japanese Yen, which is down 0.6% against the dollar, falling to its lowest level since 2024. Investors should closely monitor BoJ communications. Amid economic readings, a slight but broad strengthening can also be observed in the USD.
- A crash in cocoa prices, with the price of agricultural commodity contracts falling by as much as 11%, as abundant rains in West Africa lead the market to expect record harvests.
- Oil is recovering some losses, with the market increasingly sceptical about the prospects of production expansion in Venezuela amid US involvement. Protests in Iran and the escalation of the conflict in Yemen raise concerns about supply security.
- Weather forecasts in the US predict significant warming, with NATGAS contracts falling by over 6%.
- Significant gains in industrial metals, with zinc leading the growth, rising by as much as 4%. Copper and aluminium follow with gains of around 2%.
- Low volatility in the precious metals market, with the exception of silver, which is trying to recover some recent losses and is up by over 3%.
- Mixed sentiments in the crypto market. Bitcoin is down 0.4% but remains above the 90,000 USD level. Ethereum is down by over 0.7% and is hovering around 3,090 dollars.
Three Markets to Watch Next Week (09.01.2026)
US OPEN: Investors exercise caution in the face of uncertainty.
Oklo shares surged in a true “atomic open” on today’s session
BREAKING: Employment in Canada better than expected! 🍁📈
