For: December 22, 2025
>>Ahead Of The Bell
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher to end the week on Friday. Stocks rose as AI shares advanced, led by Oracle, Nvidia and Micron Technology. Oracle jumped seven percent after TikTok agreed to sell its U.S. operations to a new joint venture that includes software giant and private equity firm Silver Lake. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 183 points to 48-134. The S&P 500 rose 60 points to 68-34. The Nasdaq climbed 301 points to 23-307.
>>Holiday-Shortened Trading Week Begins (Undated) -- As the Christmas holiday-shortened trading week kicks off, investors will be looking forward to the release of a government shutdown-delayed GDP report and consumer confidence stats on Tuesday. Weekly jobless claims will be released on Wednesday while the stock market closes early for Christmas Eve and then goes dark for the holiday the next day.
>>Hassett Assures Oil Prices Won't Rise
(Washington, DC) -- National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett says Americans don't need to worry about a spike in oil prices following the seizure of a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Hassett made the comment on CBS' "Face the Nation." Pentagon officials confirmed the U.S. Coast Guard led an operation on Saturday to seize a sanctioned vessel. The action comes after the U.S. interdicted a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week. After that operation, the Trump administration sanctioned six other ships believed to be carrying Venezuelan oil.
>>Consumer Sentiment Edges Up In December
(Ann Arbor, MI) -- Consumer sentiment edged higher in December. The University of Michigan's final reading for the month inched up two points from November. Despite some signs of improvement to close out the year, sentiment remains nearly 30 percent below one year ago. Survey officials noted pocketbook issues top the list of consumer concerns about the economy. Buying conditions for durable goods fell for the fifth straight month.
>>Jim Beam To Pause Production At Main Distillery
(Clermont, KY) -- Jim Beam is pausing operations at its main Kentucky bourbon distillery starting next month. The Clermont facility will remain closed indefinitely while owner Suntory Global Spirits, formerly Beam Suntory, invests in site upgrades. Operations will continue at the company's other distilleries.
>>Barnes & Noble To Open 60 New Stores
(New York, NY) -- Barnes and Noble plans to open 60 new brick and mortar store across the U.S. in 2026. The plan comes after strong sales in existing stores following decades of declining store numbers. The bookstore is planning new locations in Ohio, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, Washington state, California, Virginia, Georgia and Washington D.C. between now and June.
>>Space Force Awards $1.6B In Contracts To CA Satellite Builders
(Washington, DC) -- The U.S. Space Force has announced satellite contract awards with a combined value of over one billion dollars. Officials said Friday the contracts were awarded to Rocket Lab in Long Beach, California and to the Redondo Beach Space Park Campus of Northrop Grumman. The contract by the Space Development Agency will fund the construction by each company of 18 satellites for a network in development that will give warning of advanced threats like hypersonic missiles. Northrop Grumman's contract is valued at 764-million dollars and the company is set to deliver 150 satellites for the network. The Rocket Lab contract is worth over 800-million dollars.
