Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., Dec. 17, 2025.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
U.S. stock futures rise on Sunday night ahead of a shortened holiday week, as traders deliberate whether tech can regain its footing before the year’s end.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 83 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively.
Wall Street is coming off a mixed week for the major averages. A late-week surge in tech stocks helped lift the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite to their third winning week in four, up 0.1% and 0.5%, respectively. The 30-stock Dow, which has outperformed this month, fell 0.7%, snapping a three-week winning streak.
Artificial intelligence stocks enjoyed a resurgence last week after their recent underperformance. Shares of Oracle, a major laggard, jumped after TikTok agreed to sell its U.S. operations to a new joint venture that includes the software giant and private-equity firm Silver Lake. Nvidia also made a comeback.
However, investors are watching to see whether AI stocks can retain their leadership heading into the year-end, especially as investors rotate into cheaper parts of the market amid concerns about lofty tech valuations. There’s also doubt about whether a “Santa Claus rally” will materialize, as the S&P 500 struggles to hold a key technical level.
“My view a couple of weeks ago was an end of year grind,” said Justin Bergner, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds. “And I think that’s become an end of year churn.”
The New York Stock Exchange will close early on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve and will be closed Thursday for Christmas Day.
Santa Claus rally: What is it and will it occur this year?
As the new year draws closer, eyes are turning to Wall Street to see whether it will pull off the coveted Santa Claus rally.
The so-called rally — coined by Yale Hirsch, founder of the Stock Trader’s Almanac, in 1972 — occurs between the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year. In this case, that would be from the opening bell on Dec. 24 until the second trading day of 2026, or Jan. 5.
Since 1950, the S&P 500 has recorded an average gain of 1.3% over the course of the seven-day trading period, and this year, the index should add to that, according to Jeffrey Hirsch, editor-in-chief of the Almanac.
— Sean Conlon
Stock futures open higher Sunday
Stock futures opened higher Sunday evening.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 100 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.3% and 0.3%, respectively.
— Sarah Min
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