Preview of US Stock Market | Three major stock index futures fell together, and the "Christmas market" may continue this week. Silver hit a new high but then plunged.

Pre-trading Market Trends 1. Before the market opens on December 29th (Monday), the futures of the three major U.S. stock indexes fell. As of writing, the Dow Jones futures fell by 0.04%, S&P 500 index futures fell by 0.19%, and Nasdaq futures fell by 0.35%. 2. As of writing, the German DAX index rose by 0.07%, the UK FTSE 100 index rose by 0.22%, the French CAC 40 index rose by 0.20%, and the European Stoxx 50 index rose by 0.18%. 3. As of writing, WTI crude oil rose by 2.17% to $57.97 per barrel. Brent crude oil rose by 1.96% to $61.42 per barrel. Market News Focus of the week: The minutes of the December FED meeting with the nearing of the chairman's nomination, as the market seeks clues for next year's policies during the "Christmas rally". Wall Street has entered another relatively quiet holiday week. ADP employment data and the FOMC meeting minutes will be released on Wednesday. As Wall Street seeks to step into 2026 in a bullish manner, these two data points will be the focus of attention. It is reported that U.S. President Trump will designate a new Federal Reserve chairman nominee in the first week of January. This event is uncertain, with a higher likelihood of postponement. With the stock market hitting new highs last weekend, the market seems to be ready for a positive "Santa Claus rally" - usually referring to the last five trading days of December and the first two trading days of January. LPL Financial's chief technical strategist stated: "The year-end momentum indicates a favorable trend for the 'Santa Claus rally' - which is usually a bullish signal for January and the coming year." Wall Street firmly bets on the AI wave: There is no "AI bubble" in recent years, and the S&P 500 index is aiming for 10,000 points. As the U.S. stock market continues to hover near historic highs, top Wall Street strategists are continuously downplaying investors' concerns about the AI bubble, looking forward to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices continuing their "super bull market rally" since 2023, at least for now. Wall Street's renowned investment firm Sanctuary Wealth's chief investment strategist Mary Ann Bartels compared the current market to previous bubble periods, including the bear market trajectory caused by the burst of the late 1920s and the 2000 Internet bubble. Similar to predictions from the "Wall Street Oracle" Ed Yardeni, this strategist believes that by 2030, the S&P 500 index will be between 10,000 and 13,000. Powell leaves a message to Wall Street before stepping down: Stock prices are already very expensive. Typically, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell and other Federal Reserve governors avoid commenting directly on stock market performance. However, Powell, whose term will expire in May 2026, recently mentioned the potential impact of stock market valuations on the policies of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) while responding to questions. Powell stated: "We do look at overall financial conditions and ask ourselves whether our policies are affecting these conditions as expected. But you're right, for instance, by multiple measures, stock prices are already at quite high valuation levels." Silver plunges quickly! After hitting a historic high of $84, it drops sharply. As the most frenzied precious metal trend of the year, the spot silver price briefly rose to nearly $84 per ounce on Monday, but then plummeted, highlighting the profit-taking trend of speculative funds. As of writing, spot silver fell by over 5% to $74.88 per ounce. At the same time, with the RSI indicator approaching a technical retracement point, silver's volatility may become more intense. Technical indicators show that the rise in silver may have been too rapid. The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) reading for the metal is close to 80, far above the "overbought" threshold of 70. Bank of America CEO predicts: Trump's tariff policy will ease. Bank of America Corp CEO Brian Moynihan stated that although the tariffs imposed in 2025 had an impact on the U.S. economy, he expects the Trump administration to push for a reduction in trade tensions next year. Moynihan said that Bank of America currently believes the situation will "ease rather than escalate." Under the new tariff framework, the average tariff rate will remain at 15%, and for countries unwilling to commit to expanding U.S. purchases or reducing non-tariff barriers, the rate will be higher. He stated: "For most countries, adjusting from a comprehensive 10% tariff to 15% doesn't have a significant impact. Our analysis team believes this is a sign that the situation is starting to ease." Individual Stock News SoftBank bets big on AI infrastructure, rumored to be close to acquiring data center investment giant DigitalBridge (DBRG.US). According to sources, SoftBank Group is in deep negotiations to acquire private equity firm DigitalBridge Group, which mainly invests in assets such as data centers. Sources said that the Japanese conglomerate may announce an agreement to acquire DigitalBridge as early as Monday. This deal is part of SoftBank's strategic layout to seize the opportunity of the AI-driven digital infrastructure boom, with specific terms yet to be disclosed. As of writing, DigitalBridge surged by over 30% in pre-market trading on Monday. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN.US) suspends drone delivery plan in Italy, citing commercial regulatory environment as a "barrier". Amazon.com, Inc. announced that following a strategic review, the company has suspended plans to launch commercial drone delivery services in Italy. An Amazon.com, Inc. spokesperson stated in an email, "While communication with the Italian aviation regulatory agency has been positive and progress has been made, the country's broader commercial regulatory framework currently does not support the long-term goals of this plan." Prior to this move, Amazon.com, Inc. had engaged in positive discussions with the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) in June. South Korea retail giant Coupang (CPNG.US) to compensate users with over $1.1 billion for data breach. Coupang announced that it will provide a compensation package worth 1.69 trillion Korean won (approximately $1.1 billion) to 34 million users affected by a massive data breach last month. The company released a statement on Monday, stating that it plans to provide each eligible customer with vouchers worth 50,000 Korean won for various service purchases. Even old users whose accounts were deactivated after the data breach are still eligible to receive compensation. Coupang's interim CEO Harold Rogers called this move a "responsible approach to customers" and pledged that the company will "fulfill all responsibilities." As of writing, Coupang rose by over 2% in pre-market trading on Monday. Important Economic Data and Event Preview 11:00 PM Beijing time - U.S. November seasonally adjusted pending home sales index monthly rate 11:30 PM Beijing time - U.S. EIA crude oil inventory change as of the week ending December 19th