U.S. stock futures inched lower early Wednesday after the S&P 500 (SPX) fell for the third straight session, as pressure on technology and artificial intelligence (AI) stocks continued. Futures on the Nasdaq 100 (NDX), the S&P 500, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) were down 0.43%, 0.28%, and 0.14%, as of 4:00 a.m. EST on December 31.
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During Tuesday’s regular trading, the S&P 500 slipped 0.14%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.24%. The Dow also moved lower, ending the day with a decline of 0.20%. The recent pressure on U.S. stocks stands out as the final five trading days of the year, along with the first two days of the new year, are often linked to the so-called “Santa Claus” rally.
The U.S. stock market will be closed on Thursday for New Year’s Day.
Among trending stocks, Nike (NKE) shares were up 1.54% in Wednesday’s pre-market trading on news that CEO Elliott Hill bought about $1 million in shares of the athletic apparel and footwear company. Also, Nvidia (NVDA) scored a major win with ByteDance reportedly planning to spend around ¥100 billion ($14 billion) on the chip giant’s AI chips in 2026, up from about ¥85 billion in 2025, if Nvidia is permitted to sell its H200 GPUs in China.
Meanwhile, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was slightly down, floating near 4.112%. Also, WTI crude oil futures were trending lower, hovering near $57.71 per barrel as of the last check. The Gold Spot U.S. dollar price fell to nearly $4,309 per ounce, at the time of writing.
Elsewhere, European stocks opened mixed on Wednesday. Markets will be open for only a half-day on Wednesday and will be closed on Thursday for the New Year’s Day holiday.
Asia-Pacific Markets Closed Mixed Today
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on the final trading day of the year.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed 0.87% lower. In China, the Shanghai Composite was up by a modest 0.09%, while the Shenzhen Component was down 0.58%. Latest economic data indicated that China’s factory activity expanded in December for the first time since March, beating expectations.
Meanwhile, markets in Japan and South Korea were closed today.
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