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Most Stocks Rise as Bond Yields Fall Before Jobs: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) — The last full trading week of 2025 started with gains in most US stocks and bonds as Wall Street geared up for key economic data that will help shape the Federal Reserve rate outlook.

On the eve of the US jobs report, more than 300 shares in the S&P 500 rose amid speculation that a weakening labor market will pave the way for further policy easing that will keep driving corporate profits.

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Treasury yields dropped on bets the Fed will lower rates twice next year to support the job market even as inflation keeps showing signs of stickiness. A dollar slide helped lift precious metals like gold and silver.

Following the Fed’s latest decision to cut rates, the November jobs report — due on Tuesday — is expected to show a sluggish labor market. The reading will also include an estimate of October payrolls — figures that were delayed by the federal shutdown.

The fallout from the longest-ever government closure extended to another high-profile economic indicator: the consumer price index scheduled for Thursday.

“With the Fed still appearing to be more focused on labor-market weakness than inflation, we’re likely facing a ‘bad news is good’ scenario for the jobs report,” said Chris Larkin at E*Trade from Morgan Stanley. “As long as the numbers don’t suggest employment is falling off a cliff, the markets may embrace soft data because it could lead to a more-dovish Fed.”

Corporate Highlights:

Amazon.com Inc.’s business ties with Israel’s military and the US Department of Homeland Security are the focus of a shareholder proposal demanding that the company investigate whether such contracts comply with its responsible AI policies. iRobot Corp., the company that revolutionized robot vacuum cleaners in the early 2000s with its Roomba model, filed for bankruptcy and proposed handing over control to its main Chinese supplier. Teradyne Inc. climbed after Goldman Sachs upgraded its recommendation to buy, seeing an AI-driven demand uplift for the manufacturer of chip-testing equipment. ServiceNow Inc. and Adobe Inc. were downgraded to underweight at Keybanc, which sees AI tools bringing a bigger hit to both software firms. Sanofi’s experimental multiple sclerosis drug got hit with two setbacks on Monday: a regulatory delay in the US as well as a failure in a late-stage clinical trial. Juventus Football Club SpA rose after Tether Holdings SA made a €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) takeover bid to acquire the Italian football club at a 21% premium, an offer that was swiftly rejected by the Agnelli family’s holding company. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. is nearing a deal to buy a minority stake in India’s Shriram Finance Ltd., according to people familiar with the matter, the latest foreign bank seeking to build a presence in the world’s most populous country. Troubled conglomerate Novonor SA is closer to a deal to sell its controlling stake in petrochemical giant Braskem SA to a fund advised by asset manager IG4 Capital. ASX Ltd. sank after Australia’s corporate regulator imposed a A$150 million ($99.6 million) capital charge on the firm, prompting the embattled exchange operator to slash its dividend. Some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

The S&P 500 was little changed as of 9:59 a.m. New York time The Nasdaq 100 was little changed The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.7% The MSCI World Index rose 0.2% Bloomberg Magnificent 7 Total Return Index rose 0.3% The Russell 2000 Index fell 0.2% Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.2% The euro rose 0.2% to $1.1764 The British pound rose 0.2% to $1.3398 The Japanese yen rose 0.6% to 154.90 per dollar Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin fell 0.4% to $88,119.17 Ether fell 1% to $3,051.53 Bonds

The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined three basis points to 4.15% Germany’s 10-year yield declined two basis points to 2.84% Britain’s 10-year yield declined three basis points to 4.49% The yield on 2-year Treasuries declined three basis points to 3.49% The yield on 30-year Treasuries declined two basis points to 4.82% Commodities

West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.9% to $56.92 a barrel Spot gold rose 0.5% to $4,322.87 an ounce ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR