NEW YORK, December 30, 2025, 04:03 ET — Premarket
- U.S. stock index futures were little changed in early premarket trade after a tech-led dip in the prior session.
- Investors are looking to Federal Reserve meeting minutes later Tuesday for clues on 2026 rate cuts.
- Deal headlines at Meta and DigitalBridge kept attention on AI and digital infrastructure names.
U.S. stock index futures were little changed in early premarket trading on Tuesday as investors waited for the Federal Reserve’s latest policy cues. S&P 500 futures were down 0.02% and Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.03%, while Dow futures were flat at 3:38 a.m. ET. 1
The quiet start comes with Wall Street near record levels and trading conditions thinning into year-end. With only a handful of sessions left in 2025, small shifts in positioning can swing the tape more than usual.
Investors are bracing for the Fed’s minutes from its Dec. 9-10 meeting, due at 2 p.m. ET. The minutes — the central bank’s meeting notes — can move expectations for where rates go next, feeding directly into Treasury yields and equity valuations. 2
In Monday’s regular session, the Dow fell 0.51%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.35% and the Nasdaq slid 0.50% as heavyweight technology shares retreated from last week’s gains. Nvidia fell 1.2%, Palantir dropped 2.4% and Tesla slid 3.3%, while DigitalBridge jumped 9.6% after SoftBank agreed to buy the digital infrastructure investor in a deal valued at $4 billion. “This is not the beginning of the end of the tech dominance,” said Hank Smith, director and head of investment strategy at Haverford Trust. 3
Meta was also on traders’ radar after it said it would acquire Chinese-founded AI startup Manus, accelerating efforts to integrate advanced AI across its platforms. A source with direct knowledge of the matter said the transaction values the Singapore-based firm at between $2 billion and $3 billion. 4
Economic data has been mixed but still watched closely for signs that easing financial conditions are filtering through. Pending home sales rose 3.3% in November, beating economists’ expectations, the National Association of Realtors said on Monday. 5
Commodities have added to the late-year volatility, particularly in precious metals. Gold and silver futures fell sharply on Monday after CME Group raised margin requirements — the cash traders must post to back their positions — forcing some investors to cut risk. 6
In rates, benchmark 10-year Treasury yields eased to about 4.106% on Monday, while U.S. crude settled up 2.36% at $58.14 a barrel. Moves in yields matter for stocks because lower yields typically support longer-duration assets — including many growth and tech names — by lifting the present value of future earnings. 7
Later Tuesday, investors also get the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price data, typically released at 9 a.m. ET on the last Tuesday of the month, and the Chicago PMI at 9:45 a.m. ET. The Chicago PMI is a diffusion index — readings above 50 signal expansion, while readings below 50 indicate contraction. 8
Beyond Tuesday’s slate, traders are watching for weekly jobless claims on Wednesday and navigating a New Year holiday week with a lighter economic calendar. The final sessions of the year can be driven as much by positioning and rebalancing as by fundamentals. 9
