NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 09:27 ET
Key points:
- SoftBank said it will acquire DigitalBridge for $16 a share in a deal valued at about $4 billion.
- U.S. stock index futures edged lower in holiday-thinned trading ahead of a New Year’s Day market closure.
- Gold and silver pulled back from record highs as traders booked profits into year-end.
SoftBank Group said on Monday it will acquire digital infrastructure investor DigitalBridge Group in a deal valued at about $4 billion, pushing DigitalBridge shares sharply higher in premarket trading.
The deal lands as Wall Street heads into the final week of the year with lighter volumes and fewer trading days, a setup that can amplify market moves. U.S. markets are shut on Thursday for New Year’s Day.
SoftBank is paying $16 per share, a roughly 15% premium to DigitalBridge’s Friday close, Reuters reported. DigitalBridge managed about $108 billion in assets as of Sept. 30, according to the report.
DigitalBridge invests across digital infrastructure such as data centers, cell towers and fiber networks, with holdings that include Vantage Data Centers, Zayo, Switch and AtlasEdge, Reuters reported.
The acquisition deepens SoftBank’s push into AI-linked infrastructure as demand rises for the computing capacity behind artificial intelligence applications. SoftBank is also part of the Stargate initiative with OpenAI, Oracle and Abu Dhabi-based investor MGX, which has laid out plans for five computing sites across Texas, New Mexico and Ohio with about seven gigawatts of combined power capacity when operating, Reuters said.
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open, with S&P 500 E-minis down 0.29% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis down 0.47% at 8 a.m. ET, while Dow E-minis slipped 0.11%, a Reuters report showed.
The S&P 500 was within about 1% of the 7,000 mark and the Dow had notched a record closing high last week, Reuters said, keeping investors focused on whether a “Santa Claus rally” — a seasonal pattern of gains into year-end and early January — shows up in the remaining sessions. Reuters
Heavyweight technology names eased, with Nvidia and Oracle down more than 1% each in premarket trading, while Tesla fell 1.1% after hitting a record high last week, Reuters reported.
Precious metals also pulled back after a blistering run, pressuring miners and related funds in early trade. “This morning’s (gold) price decline, which follows record highs, is attributable mainly to traders taking profits ahead of the year-end,” said ActivTrades analyst Ricardo Evangelista. Reuters Reuters
Spot gold was down 1.7% at $4,455.35 an ounce and silver fell 5.1% to $75.15 after touching a record $83.62 earlier in the session, Reuters said.
Investopedia’s morning markets briefing also flagged a softer start for index futures, while noting that bitcoin was around $87,300 and U.S. crude futures were up about 2.5% near $58 a barrel.
The week’s U.S. economic calendar is thin, with November pending home sales due later on Monday and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting expected Tuesday, Investopedia said.
Trading hours around the holidays remain a moving target across asset classes: the NYSE has already marked an early close for cash equities on Dec. 24 and the exchange will be shut on Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day, according to NYSE Group’s holiday calendar. Bond markets are also scheduled to close early at 2 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, based on the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s holiday recommendations. (, , ; related explainers: , )
