While gold (GC=F) reached a record amid escalating tensions in Venezuela, US equities increased on Monday as Wall Street began a week shortened by holidays, raising the likelihood of a year-end surge.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) gained about 0.6%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gained 0.5%. As the three major indexes recorded a third consecutive day of advances, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) increased by almost 0.5%.
As investors struggled between conflicting pressures—fear of missing out on an AI boom and concerns about an AI bubble tech continued to rebound from a tumultuous streak.
However, late last week, confidence in the AI trade increased once more, mostly as a result of favorable developments for Oracle (ORCL) and Nvidia (NVDA).
On Monday, shares of those companies kept climbing, and Tesla (TSLA), a manufacturer of electric vehicles, also surged to almost record levels.
As they assess the likelihood of a Santa Claus rally, investors are now searching for technology to sustain the momentum. As 2025 draws to a close, stocks are trading close to their all-time highs.
This is because bets on interest rate decreases in 2026 were largely unaffected by the unexpected decline in inflation and the lackluster labor market statistics.
Gold (GC=F) and silver (SI=F) reached new all-time highs due to geopolitical concerns, while crude oil (CL=F, BZ=F) futures also increased as the US tightened its blockade of Venezuela. After apprehending a second carrier on Sunday, the Coast Guard pursued a third oil tanker off the nation's coast.
Future plans include the publishing of fragmented economic data this week, which was postponed due to the US closure. The first look at the GDP for the third quarter and updates on the PCE price index for July, August, and September are the main events that take place on Tuesday.
Due to the commencement of the holidays on Christmas Eve, US financial markets will close early on Wednesday. On Christmas Day, they will remain closed throughout Thursday.
