01 Stock Market
As of Dec 17, the U.S. major indexes closed as follows: the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.62% at 48,114.26; the S&P 500 down 0.24% at 6,800.26; and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.23% at 23,111.46. Movement was mixed as investors balanced strength in select technology and consumer names against weakness in some semiconductors and China ADRs.
Unusual-move stocks saw notable dispersion across AI, autos, and cannabis. Highlights include: Tesla (TSLA) up 3.07% at $489.88; Nvidia (NVDA) up 0.81% at $177.72; Apple (AAPL) up 0.18% at $274.61; Meta (META) up 1.49% at $657.15; Oracle (ORCL) up 2.02% at $188.65; Micron (MU) down 2.10% at $232.51; AMD (AMD) up 0.77% at $209.17; Alphabet (GOOG) down 0.51% at $307.73; Microsoft (MSFT) up 0.33% at $476.39; Coinbase (COIN) up 0.87% at $252.61; Tilray (TLRY) up 27.54% at $13.94; CoreWeave (CRWV) down 3.94% at $69.50. Levered and index-linked products also moved: TSLL up 6.08% at $23.03; TQQQ up 0.60% at $52.33; SOXL down 1.68% at $40.49; QQQ up 0.20% at $611.75; SQQQ down 0.59% at $71.17; Broadcom (AVGO) up 0.44% at $341.30; Netflix (NFLX) up 0.85% at $94.57; Rocket Lab (RKLB) up 0.14% at $55.49; Amazon (AMZN) up 0.01% at $222.56; PDD (PDD) down 1.25% at $109.02; Alibaba (BABA) down 0.53% at $149.29; MicroStrategy (MSTR) up 3.34% at $167.50; Palantir (PLTR) up 2.46% at $187.75; SanDisk (SNDK) up 3.69% at $209.31.
U.S.-listed Chinese and Taiwan-linked names were mixed, with select idiosyncratic spikes. Moves included: JD.com (JD) flat at $28.85; NetEase (NTES) down 1.85% at $135.64; Taiwan Semi (TSM) down 0.30% at $286.87; GDS down 2.36% at $34.74; Hesai (HSAI) up 3.64% at $21.64; UTSI up 15.50% at $2.31; SXTC up 13.10% at $1.64; CANG up 10.83% at $1.33; KRKR up 9.22% at $4.63; UTStarcom (UTSI) up 15.50% at $2.31; and Zhihu (ZH) up 3.67% at $3.39. Cannabis-linked Tilray (TLRY) up 27.54% at $13.94 stood out amid policy chatter.
02 Other Markets
Dec 17 the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield fell by 0.00%, latest at 4.15.
Dec 17 USD/CNH rose 0.00%, at 7.04; USD/HKD fell 0.01%, at 7.78.
Dec 17 the U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.00%, at 98.22.
Dec 17 WTI crude futures rose 0.62%, at 55.47 USD/bbl; COMEX gold futures rose 0.14%, at 4,338.50 USD/oz.
03 Top News
California’s DMV ordered Tesla’s in-state sales suspended for 30 days over alleged driver-assistance marketing issues, with a compliance window before enforcement. The suspension is slated to begin after a grace period to allow the company to meet requirements. Shares softened in extended trading, signaling investor concern about regulatory risk and sales disruption.
Spirit Aviation Holdings opened merger talks with Frontier Group Holdings, aiming to combine ultra-low-cost carrier operations. The deal under discussion could be announced soon, though negotiations may still fail. Frontier’s shares climbed in after-hours trading, reflecting optimism about consolidation and cost synergies.
The White House signaled it is considering reclassifying marijuana to Schedule III, potentially easing tax burdens for cannabis firms. Policy momentum could enable expense deductions for operators and improve research access. Cannabis equities rallied, with Tilray up 27.5% and Canopy Growth up 10.2%, highlighting investor anticipation of regulatory relief.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s board is reportedly preparing to advise shareholders against Paramount Skydance’s all-cash takeover bid. The stance follows competing offers and regulatory considerations for the storied media assets. Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery edged lower while parts of the peer group firmed, reflecting differing deal expectations.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management launched the United States Tech Force to recruit technologists for government modernization. The initiative targets AI capability across agencies and bolsters public-sector tech talent. The program could benefit federal IT contractors and AI software vendors as public investment in modernization accelerates.
Lennar missed quarterly earnings expectations and issued cautious guidance, pressuring the homebuilder’s shares in after-hours trading. Management highlighted ongoing affordability challenges and continued use of incentives, with margins guided to 15%–16%. The outlook for orders and deliveries pointed to a slower start next quarter.
CoreWeave faced construction delays at AI data centers, contributing to a sharp market-cap decline and investor scrutiny of timelines. Weather-related setbacks and design revisions reportedly pushed back capacity planned for leasing to major AI partners. Shares fell and the company’s valuation slid by tens of billions, underscoring execution risks in AI infrastructure.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported nonfarm payrolls rose by 64,000, with the unemployment rate at 4.6%. A prior month’s job losses were tied to government workforce reductions, highlighting labor-market crosscurrents. Rate-cut expectations were little changed, but the data reinforced concerns about slowing employment momentum.
Nvidia acquired SchedMD, expanding its capabilities in workload management for high-performance computing and AI. The move enhances orchestration tools around open-source scheduling, supporting enterprise AI deployments. The acquisition strengthens Nvidia’s software stack alongside its hardware leadership.
Frontier Airlines appointed insider James Dempsey as interim CEO following the departure of Barry Biffle, signaling leadership continuity. The change comes amid strategic shifts and possible consolidation talks within the ultra-low-cost segment. Governance stability may influence execution on fleet, route, and potential M&A decisions.
Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: This content is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice.
