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Fed divided on rate cuts - Are rate cut expectations heating up?
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Wall Street Today: DJIA and S&P 500 Ease, But Nasdaq Composite Rises in Part on Tesla's Record High

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Jerry Kronenberg joined discussion · Dec 16, 2025 15:54
The S&P 500 and Dow-30 inched lower Tuesday, but the Nasdaq Composite rose slightly as cryptocurrencies improved, Tesla hit a record high and Big Techs like Palantir, Oracle and Meta Platforms gained ground as well.
The $Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC.US)$ added 54.05 points (0.2%) to a 23,111.46 finish, although the $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$ shed 16.25 ticks (0.2%) to 6,800.26 and the $Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI.US)$ lost 302.3 points (0.6%) to 48,114.26.
Macro
The Nasdaq rose in part on a 3.1% increase for $Tesla (TSLA.US)$, which ended at a $489.88 best-ever finish.
The electric-vehicle maker rallied in apparent continued enthusiasm for recent word it's begun running its robotaxis in Tesla's Austin, Texas, hometown without human backup drivers. CEO Elon Musk has previously described robotaxis as one of the company's key future products.
Other Big Techs rose as well after weeks of generally declining prices. Tuesday's tech gainers included $Palantir (PLTR.US)$ (up 2.5%), $Oracle (ORCL.US)$ (2% better) and $Meta Platforms (META.US)$ (1.5% stronger).
By contrast, the Dow-30 suffered from losses Tuesday among some key healthcare and pharmaceutical stocks that had been rising recently in an apparent investor rotation out of Big Tech. Tuesday's decliners included $Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.US)$ (off 2.3%), $UnitedHealth (UNH.US)$ (2.02% weaker) and $Merck & Co (MRK.US)$ (which gave back 1.98%).
In economic news, a mixed U.S. jobs report raised hopes that the Federal Reserve might cut its benchmark Fed Funds rate in January, but also created fears of a possible American slowdown.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released October and November U.S. jobs data before the bell after delays due to the recent government shutdown -- with the numbers showing a muddled picture.
On one hand, the BLS found that the U.S. economy created 64,000 nonfarm jobs in November, beating the 45,000 that expert had forecast. However, the figures also showed the economy shed 105,000 jobs in October.
A weak U.S. job market could prompt the Fed to cut its benchmark Federal Funds rate for a fourth time in January, which could potentially boost stocks by making bond and money-market yields fall.
However, an excessively poor employment picture could point toward a U.S. recession that could hurt equities in the medium term.
Still, the specter of potentially lower interest rates seemed to help cryptocurrencies. Lower rates historically weaken the U.S. dollar, potentially boosting alternatives like crypto.
$Bitcoin (BTC.CC)$ gained 2.1% to $87,686.10 as of shortly before 4 p.m. New York time on Tuesday, while $Ethereum (ETH.CC)$ added 0.7% to $2.951.41, $Solana (SOL.CC)$improved 2.8% to $128.34 and $Ripple (XRP.CC)$rose 2.4% to $1.93.
Moo-vers
The "Magnificent Seven" stocks followed the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite's lead Tuesday and ended mostly higher.
Six Mag-7 names rose, led by $Tesla (TSLA.US)$and $Meta Platforms (META.US)$ and their aforementioned gains of 3.1% and 1.5%, respectively. Other Mag-7 winners included $NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$ (up 0.8%), $Microsoft (MSFT.US)$ (0.3% stronger), $Apple (AAPL.US)$(0.2% better) and $Amazon (AMZN.US)$ (which inched up 0.01%).
Only $Alphabet-A (GOOGL.US)$ lost ground among the Mag-7 stocks, shedding 1.7%.
Elsewhere on Wall Street, Tuesday's other noteworthy percentage decliners included:
-- $iRobot (IRBT.US)$, which sank another 35.6% in a second day of big losses. The Roomba maker has been tumbling since disclosing plans Sunday to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy and go private in a deal with its key creditor.
-- $CoreWeave (CRWV.US)$, down 3.9%. The AI-cloud firm fell for a fifth straight session on worries about its financing costs. CRWV has shed 23.3% since its Dec. 9 close.
Conversely, Tuesday's significant percentage gainers included:
-- $Rezolve AI (RZLV.US)$, 28% stronger. The AI-powered commerce-solutions firm rose after announcing that it expects December revenues to hit a record $17 million.
-- Cannabis stocks $Tilray Brands (TLRY.US)$ (up 27.5%) and $Canopy Growth (CGC.US)$ (10.2% better). The firms soared last Friday, pulled back Monday and then rebounded Tuesday amid news that U.S. President Donald Trump might soon reclassify marijuana as a less-dangerous drug. That would move the substance – which some U.S. states have legalized, but which technically remains illegal under U.S. federal law – closer to full legalization.
-- $Circle (CRCL.US)$ and other cryptocurrency-related stocks. Circle gained 10% in part of news that $Visa (V.US)$ will allow U.S. banks to settle transactions using the USDC stablecoin, which CRCL issues. Other crypto firms rose amid Tuesday's gains for Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies. Winners included $Applied Digital (APLD.US)$ (5.5% stronger), $Robinhood (HOOD.US)$ (3.6% better), $Strategy (MSTR.US)$ (3.3% higher), $IREN Ltd (IREN.US)$ (which added 3.1%) and $Coinbase (COIN.US)$ (up 0.9%).
Wall Street Today: DJIA and S&P 500 Ease, But Nasdaq Composite Rises in Part on Tesla's Record High
Disclaimer: This presentation is for informational and educational use only and is not a recommendation or endorsement of any particular investment or investment strategy. Indexes are unmanaged and cannot be directly invested in. Past performance is no indication of future results. Investing involves risk and the potential to lose principal. Investment information provided in this content is general in nature, strictly for illustrative purposes, and may not be appropriate for all investors. It is provided without respect to individual investors' financial sophistication, financial situation, investment objectives, investing time horizon, or risk tolerance. You should consider the appropriateness of this information regarding your relevant personal circumstances before making any investment decisions. Past investment performance does not indicate or guarantee future success. Returns will vary, and all investments carry risks, including loss of principal.
Disclaimer: Community is offered by Moomoo Technologies Inc. and is for educational purposes only. Read more
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Jerry Kronenberg
Director of Financial Content
Former top editor at Seeking Alpha, Fidelity.com, TheStreet.com and UPI.
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