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Monday. The AI jitters continue. When will we see returns from massive AI investments? How will companies like OpenAI and Oracle fund their ambitious goals? Bitcoin falls further today and risk assets continue to suffer. We have a jobs report tomorrow and CPI on Thursday.

See the full breakdown below!

πŸ“Š Market Close: 12/15/25

  • Nasdaq (-0.59%)

  • S&P 500 (-0.16%)

  • Dow Jones (-0.09%)

πŸ“° Major Headlines

  • πŸ“‰ AI Profit Jitters Deepen

    • The market continued to suffer from the domino effect of last week's warnings from Oracle and Broadcom. The Nasdaq fell for a third consecutive day as investors rotated money out of tech stocks.

  • πŸ€– CEOs Vow to Keep Spending on AI

    • Despite the recent tech sell-off, a new survey shows that 68% of chief executives plan to increase AI spending in 2026. Less than half of current AI projects have generated positive returns. The massive capital expenditure trend driving the sell-off is unlikely to end soon...

  • πŸͺ™ Bitcoin Falls to Two-Week Low

    • Bitcoin dropped today to trade at a low of $85k.

  • πŸ₯‡ Gold Rises

    • Gold futures settled near a record high of $4,300, benefitting from declines in the U.S. dollar and Treasury yields.

πŸ“ˆ Earnings & Company News

  • AVGO (-5.6%)

    • Fallen over 13% in two days despite beating earnings. The company's margin forecast hurt the stock, as its chip segment will lead to margin compression, confirming the AI buildout is more expensive than expected.

  • ORCL (-2.6%)

    • Continued its slide, adding to Friday’s drop. Investors are increasingly concerned about the high capital spending required to compete in the cloud AI infrastructure race, a fear amplified by the Broadcom warning.

πŸ—“ Upcoming Economic Releases

  • Tuesday, Dec 16 - November Non-Farm Payrolls & Unemployment Rate

    • The Federal Reserve cited a "weakening labor market" for its recent rate cut, so a weak report would support the case for future dovish policy (more cuts). In contrast, a strong report could trigger market volatility.

  • Wednesday, Dec 17 - Advance Retail Sales for Nov

    • This is a key measure of consumer demand and spending health as the holiday shopping season ramps up. Weak numbers could fuel broader concerns about an economic slowdown.

  • Thursday, Dec 18 - Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Nov

    • The core measure of inflation (excluding food and energy). A cool reading is needed to maintain optimism about further rate cuts in 2026, while a hot reading would make the Fed's rate cuts much more unlikely.

Thanks for reading!

β€” Gavin, How Are Markets

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⚠️ Disclaimer: I’m not a financial advisor β€” this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing here should be taken as financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. Do your own research before making investment decisions.

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