US Stock Market Week Ahead: Santa Rally Window, Q3 GDP Catch‑Up Data, and Fed Rate Bets Put Wall Street on Watch (Dec. 22–26, 2025)
The S&P 500 rose 0.88% to 6,834.50 and the Nasdaq gained 1.31% to 23,307.62 on Friday, Dec. 19, capping a volatile week driven by renewed interest in AI stocks. Year-to-date, the S&P 500 is up 16.2% and the Nasdaq 20.7%. Investors await delayed U.S. economic data and signals from the Federal Reserve as thin holiday trading heightens volatility.