Big Tech Stocks Today: Nvidia’s Groq Licensing Deal, Apple’s China iPhone Signal, Tesla’s Safety Probe — What Investors Should Watch Before Monday

NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2025, 12:36 p.m. ET — Market closed

U.S. stock markets are shut for the weekend, but Big Tech stocks are heading into the final stretch of 2025 with momentum still intact—and fresh headlines that could shape trading when the opening bell returns Monday.

On Friday’s quiet, post-Christmas session, Wall Street finished only marginally lower, with major indexes slipping by fractions even as investors kept an eye on the seasonal “Santa Claus rally” window and year-end positioning. ^[1]

For Big Tech, the story into Monday is less about sweeping index moves and more about a handful of stock-specific catalysts: Nvidia’s move to license inference technology from AI chip upstart Groq, Apple’s surprise signal from China iPhone-linked data plus a legal win in a smartwatch dispute, Tesla’s new federal safety probe tied to Model 3 emergency door releases, and renewed scrutiny around Meta’s Instagram strategy for teens. ^[2]

Big Tech stocks into the weekend: near highs, but catalysts are stacking up

Friday’s session was characterized by light volume and limited macro catalysts—conditions that can make single-stock headlines matter more than usual. Reuters quoted Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, describing the market as “catching our breath” after a strong run, while noting the market is still inside the traditional “Santa Claus rally” window. ^[3]

Among the most visible Big Tech movers:

Nvidia (NVDA) rose after news of a Groq-related agreement.
Tesla (TSLA) fell amid a new federal probe.
Apple (AAPL) edged up after China-linked data and a legal development in the Apple Watch dispute. ^[4]

Those headlines land as investors try to navigate the tension that’s defined mega-cap tech for much of the year: AI spending is powering growth narratives, but it’s also driving debate around valuation, margins, and whether market leadership broadens beyond the “Magnificent Seven.” ^[5]

Nvidia stock: the Groq licensing deal spotlights the inference arms race

Nvidia’s latest AI move isn’t a traditional acquisition—at least not on paper. Reuters reported that Nvidia agreed to a non-exclusive license for Groq’s chip technology and is also hiring Groq’s founder Jonathan Ross, along with Groq President Sunny Madra and other engineers. Groq said it would continue to operate as an independent company, naming Simon Edwards as CEO. ^[6]

What matters for investors is what Groq represents: inference—the phase where trained AI models respond to user prompts in real time. Reuters notes Nvidia still dominates the training market, but inference is more contested, with rivals ranging from AMD to startups like Groq and Cerebras. ^[7]

There’s also a regulatory and structural angle. Reuters framed the deal as part of a broader Big Tech playbook: paying for technology and talent while stopping short of a formal acquisition—an approach that has drawn regulator interest in other cases. ^[8]

In one of the sharper takes included in Reuters’ report, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon cautioned that antitrust is a key risk, while suggesting that a non-exclusive license structure may preserve the appearance of competition even as leadership and talent shift. ^[9]

Bottom line for Nvidia bulls: this is a reminder that the AI race is evolving from “who can train the biggest model” to “who can deliver responses fastest, cheapest, and at scale.” Deals like this are a bet that inference becomes the next battleground—and that Nvidia intends to win it.

Apple stock: China iPhone-linked data surprises, plus an Apple Watch legal win

Apple closed the week with two headlines that point in different directions—but both are market-relevant.

China data: foreign-branded phone shipments jump

Reuters reported that shipments of foreign-branded mobile phones in China, including Apple’s iPhones, rose 128.4% year over year in November, based on Reuters calculations from China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) data. Reuters also said total phone shipments rose 1.9% year over year, with foreign-branded shipments at 6.93 million units. ^[10]

That kind of spike will inevitably feed investor debate about whether iPhone demand is stabilizing—or whether November’s numbers reflect a shorter-term swing (promotions, channel timing, or comparisons versus a weaker prior period). Either way, it’s the sort of data point that can move sentiment around Apple’s China narrative quickly.

Apple Watch dispute: import block attempt denied

Barron’s reported that a U.S. District Court judge denied Masimo’s request to block Apple Watch imports in a dispute tied to blood-oxygen sensor patents—an incremental but meaningful win for Apple as broader legal battles continue. ^[11]

Bloomberg Law similarly reported that a federal judge rejected Masimo’s attempt to halt imports, allowing Apple Watches to keep coming into the U.S. while the dispute plays out. ^[12]

For Apple investors, the key is that the watch dispute is not simply a courtroom drama—it’s a product continuity risk. Any renewed disruption to imports or feature availability can ripple into wearables revenue expectations, even as iPhone demand remains the core driver.

Tesla stock: federal safety probe adds pressure—and robotaxi hype ramps up

Tesla enters the weekend with two storylines pulling in opposite directions: regulatory scrutiny versus big promises.

NHTSA probe: Model 3 emergency releases

The Los Angeles Times reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a probe into emergency releases on certain Model 3 vehicles, evaluating claims that the mechanical door release is “hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive” during an emergency. The article said the probe covers an estimated 179,071 2022 Model 3 sedans. ^[13]

This is exactly the type of headline that can dent near-term sentiment, because it raises the possibility of broader scrutiny, potential fixes, and the reputational impact of safety narratives—especially when they recur.

Robotaxi messaging and delivery watch

At the same time, Investors.com reported that Tesla has been intensifying messaging around Full Self-Driving (FSD) and robotaxi ambitions ahead of a self-imposed year-end milestone, while also flagging that the company is expected to report Q4 deliveries around early January. ^[14]

For Tesla traders, Monday’s setup is a classic tug-of-war: safety and regulatory headlines can push risk-off behavior, while “robotaxi” and FSD narratives can pull momentum back in—especially in thin year-end liquidity.

Meta stock: leaked Instagram teen strategy adds scrutiny risk

Meta’s advertising engine depends heavily on engagement and time spent—so anything that revives debate about product design and teen use can quickly become investor-relevant.

The Washington Post reported that internal documents show Instagram pursued a yearslong strategy to bring more teens onto the platform even amid public criticism about teen safety. The report cites an internal memo from Instagram head Adam Mosseri pushing teams to stay “laser focused” on teens in developed markets. ^[15]

The Post also quoted Max Willens, a principal analyst at eMarketer, arguing that the era when Instagram felt “charmed” is over and has been replaced by pervasive scrutiny about the product’s impact on young people. ^[16]

This matters for META shares because it puts a spotlight on the balancing act between:

defending engagement (the revenue engine),
expanding products (including AI features),
and managing legal and regulatory exposure tied to youth usage.

The broader Big Tech outlook: rate expectations, AI spend, and market rotation

Even as company-specific headlines dominate weekend reads, the bigger driver for Big Tech stocks into the final three sessions of 2025 may be the same macro mix that has shaped the entire year: rates and AI.

In Reuters’ “Week Ahead” outlook, market strategists emphasized that Fed minutes could shape rate expectations, and that thin year-end volumes can exaggerate moves. Paul Nolte of Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management said momentum remains with the bulls, while Glenmede’s Michael Reynolds highlighted how closely markets are “handicapping” next year’s rate cuts. ^[17]

Reuters also noted that investors are watching for rotation as non-tech areas gain traction, while tech has faced periods of weakness tied to concerns over AI spending. ^[18]

Meanwhile, a Nasdaq.com analysis sourced from Zacks argued that Big Tech remains dominant, and cited Zacks Head of Research Sheraz Mian projecting 2026 earnings growth for the Magnificent Seven of 16.5% on 15% revenue growth, while describing AI capex as a reinvestment cycle rather than structural profitability erosion. ^[19]

What investors should know before Monday’s opening bell

With the market closed, the practical question becomes: what could actually move Big Tech stocks when trading resumes?

Here are the key weekend-to-Monday checkpoints investors are watching:

Expect lighter liquidity and sharper reactions
Charles Schwab’s market update warned that low holiday volume can mean sharper moves, and that thin trading can signal a lack of conviction that the market must “prove” once full volume returns. ^[20]
Watch for follow-ups on Nvidia’s Groq move
The Nvidia/Groq structure—non-exclusive licensing plus key hires—touches multiple investor concerns at once: inference competition, the pace of AI innovation, and regulatory scrutiny of “acqui-hire” deal structures. ^[21]
Track Tesla’s safety probe headlines
NHTSA’s evaluation into allegedly hidden emergency releases creates an ongoing headline stream risk. In momentum names like Tesla, incremental regulatory updates can matter as much as fundamentals in the short run. ^[22]
Keep Apple’s China data and Apple Watch litigation in focus
The November jump in foreign-branded phone shipments in China is a sentiment lever, and Apple’s Apple Watch import win reduces (for now) a near-term disruption risk. ^[23]
Don’t ignore the calendar: Fed minutes and key data
Schwab’s “week ahead” calendar flagged:

Dec. 29: Pending U.S. home sales
Dec. 30: FOMC minutes
Dec. 31: EIA crude oil inventories
Jan. 2: Construction spending (November) ^[24]

Reuters also emphasized that Fed minutes are a focal point and could influence rate expectations into 2026—an especially important variable for Big Tech valuations. ^[25]

Know the clock for the next session
The NYSE lists its core trading session as 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. That’s the window when the biggest liquidity and price discovery typically occurs for Big Tech stocks. ^[26]

As Big Tech heads into Monday, the market setup is straightforward: mega-cap tech remains central to the AI narrative, but the easiest gains can be harder to come by at year-end—when headlines, positioning, and rates can matter as much as quarterly fundamentals. ^[27]