SPY Stock Price Today (Dec. 16, 2025): S&P 500 ETF Slips in Premarket as Traders Brace for Delayed Jobs Data

SPY stock price today is in focus as markets head into a rare Tuesday release of delayed U.S. employment reports—an unusual setup that’s amplifying uncertainty around the Federal Reserve’s 2026 rate path and keeping risk appetite fragile.

SPY price today: the latest levels investors are watching

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)—the world’s most heavily traded ETF and a key proxy for the broader U.S. stock market—closed Monday (Dec. 15, 2025) at $680.73, down 0.15% on the day. ^[1]

Early Tuesday, SPY was modestly lower in premarket trading, with some quote feeds showing the ETF near $680.26 around 7:10 a.m. ET. ^[2] Another widely followed feed pegged SPY premarket at about $678.58 around 4:42 a.m. ET (delayed quote). ^[3]

Here’s the key technical context from Monday’s session:

Dec. 15 open: $685.74
Dec. 15 high: $685.76
Dec. 15 low: $679.25
Dec. 15 close: $680.73 ^[4]

That $679–$680 area is now the first “line in the sand” for bulls, while $685–$686 is the nearest overhead resistance zone based on Monday’s intraday high and open. ^[5]

On a broader timeframe, SPY’s 52-week range is roughly $481.80 to $689.70, underscoring how close the ETF remains to its annual highs even after the recent pullback. ^[6]

Why SPY is moving today: the macro catalyst is the jobs report (and the data vacuum)

Tuesday’s main event risk isn’t an earnings release—it’s U.S. labor-market data arriving after delays tied to a government shutdown. Reuters reports that the Labor Department is scheduled to publish jobs data at 8:30 a.m. ET, with economists expecting a rebound in November job growth after a weaker October, while the overall trend still points to a gradually cooling labor market. ^[7]

Reuters also highlights that the shutdown has left the Fed and investors starved of official data, increasing reliance on “secondary indicators” that have painted a mixed picture. ^[8]

That matters for SPY because the ETF is essentially a real-time referendum on two questions:

Is the U.S. economy slowing enough to justify more rate cuts?
If it is slowing, is it still slowing “softly”—or tipping toward recession risk?

Stock-index futures point lower ahead of the release

Heading into the U.S. open, Reuters reported futures were mildly red:

Dow futures: -0.13%
S&P 500 futures: -0.19%
Nasdaq 100 futures: -0.31% (as of about 5:47 a.m. ET) ^[9]

For SPY traders, this “soft risk-off” posture matters more than the exact futures numbers. It signals positioning is cautious—not panicked—into the data print, a dynamic that can set up bigger moves immediately after 8:30 a.m. ET.

The hidden driver behind SPY today: rate-cut expectations are still shifting

Even after the Fed’s recent move, investors are still trying to pin down what comes next. Reuters notes that policymakers broadly acknowledged a weakening jobs backdrop when the central bank lowered rates last week, and that markets are pricing at least 50 basis points of cuts in 2026 (per CME’s FedWatch tool, as referenced by Reuters). ^[10]

But Reuters’ Morning Bid column adds nuance: futures markets were pricing only a one-in-four chance of another cut next month, with another quarter-point move not fully priced until June. ^[11]

Translation for SPY: the ETF is being tugged by competing narratives—supportive policy expectations on one side, and “how weak is the economy really?” anxiety on the other.

AI weakness and sector rotation are still shaping the tape

SPY is not a tech ETF, but it is tech-heavy by market cap, so the recent wobble in AI-linked mega-caps and infrastructure names continues to ripple through the index.

Reuters’ Morning Bid notes an “ongoing retreat from top artificial intelligence stocks,” pointing to continued pressure in names like Broadcom and Oracle in recent sessions. ^[12]

At the same time, Reuters describes rotation into healthcare and banks—areas that have outperformed the S&P 500 on a quarterly basis—while the tech-heavy Nasdaq has been under pressure. ^[13]

That’s a crucial read-through for SPY holders:
Even when SPY looks “flat,” internal leadership can shift dramatically—changing what’s working inside portfolios without necessarily moving the headline index much.

Oil is sliding—and that’s affecting inflation expectations (and SPY)

Energy prices are a second major macro lever for equities right now. Reuters points to oil sinking to its lowest level since May, calling it a relief for inflation expectations and noting crude was down more than 21% year-over-year in that context. ^[14]

For SPY, falling oil can be a two-edged sword:

It can help inflation cool, which supports the case for easier policy (often bullish for equities).
But it can also signal weaker demand/growth, which can weigh on cyclical earnings expectations.

Whether SPY treats lower oil as “good news” or “bad news” often depends on what the jobs data says next.

What else is on the calendar today besides jobs?

Reuters flags a packed U.S. data slate around the jobs release, including:

October retail sales (also delayed)
S&P Global flash business activity estimates ^[15]

In other words, this isn’t a one-number day. SPY’s move can evolve hour by hour as multiple releases re-price the growth and inflation outlook.

SPY fundamentals: why this ETF remains the market’s main “beta button”

Part of SPY’s dominance is structural. It’s designed to track the S&P 500 and is widely used by institutions and individuals alike for quick exposure to U.S. large caps.

As of today’s reference data, SPY shows:

Total assets: about $700.62B
Expense ratio: 0.09%
Holdings: roughly 504
Dividend yield (data shown): ~1.07% ^[16]

Those aren’t just trivia points—they’re why SPY often becomes the preferred vehicle for macro positioning around events like payrolls and inflation.

Forecasts and strategist views: where Wall Street thinks SPY could go next

Because SPY tracks the S&P 500, most forward-looking “SPY forecasts” are expressed as index targets. Today’s coverage underscores just how wide the distribution of outcomes is for 2026.

A cautious baseline: Bank of America sees modest upside in 2026

Investopedia reports that Bank of America’s Savita Subramanian has described a relatively “lackluster” year-ahead outlook, with the S&P 500 ending 2026 around 7,100—roughly 4% above recent levels referenced in that discussion. The argument: earnings can still grow, but valuation multiples may contract as liquidity becomes less supportive and mega-cap tech leadership cools. ^[17]

A more optimistic case: Citi lifts the bar—while warning about volatility

Reuters reports Citigroup set a 7,700 year-end 2026 target for the S&P 500, citing earnings strength and continued AI tailwinds—while also outlining a wide range of outcomes (including a bullish scenario above that level and a bearish scenario far below). ^[18]

A bearish outlier: “AI boom to bust” risk

MarketWatch, citing BCA Research, carried a sharply bearish scenario that frames AI capex as overextended and warns of a potential 2026 downturn. ^[19]

The takeaway for SPY investors isn’t that any single forecast is “right.” It’s that the spread between bullish and bearish paths remains unusually large—and that makes macro data days (like today) more important because they influence which narrative gains traction.

SPY technical setup: the levels traders are likely to respect today

From a pure price-action perspective, SPY enters Dec. 16 with clear, recent reference points:

Immediate support: ~$679.25 (Monday’s low) ^[20]
Near-term resistance: ~$685.76 (Monday’s high) ^[21]
Bigger ceiling: ~$689.70 (52-week high area) ^[22]

If the jobs report surprises meaningfully, those levels can become “decision points” where liquidity clusters and volatility accelerates.

What to watch after 8:30 a.m. ET: three scenarios for SPY

Because SPY is so macro-sensitive on days like this, it often helps to think in scenarios instead of predictions:

Jobs data weaker than expected:
SPY can rally if markets interpret weakness as “more rate cuts ahead,” but the rally may fade if recession fears dominate. Reuters explicitly notes that “softness” could trigger a more dovish repricing of expectations. ^[23]
Jobs data stronger than expected:
SPY can drop if yields jump and investors price fewer cuts—or push the first cut further out.
Mixed or “noisy” data (very plausible given the shutdown disruptions):
Reuters expects potentially “noisy” prints and emphasizes the unusual nature of this release cadence. ^[24] In that case, SPY could chop around key technical levels, with the next catalysts becoming retail sales, business-activity data, and ongoing mega-cap earnings/AI sentiment.

Bottom line: SPY price today is less about SPY—and more about the Fed and the labor market

SPY may look like “just an ETF,” but days like Dec. 16, 2025 are when it behaves like the market’s central dashboard: a single ticker reflecting investor views on growth, inflation, rates, and risk appetite—all at once.

With SPY near recent lows and futures slightly lower into a major data release, the next meaningful move is likely to be decided not by headlines alone, but by how markets re-price the 2026 path for the economy and interest rates after the jobs numbers hit.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.

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