Dow Hits a Record High After December Jobs Report: Stock Market Today

The S&P 500 also closed the week at its highest level on record, thanks to strong gains for Intel and Vistra. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. A mixed December jobs report sent stocks higher at the open, and they kept climbing into the close. The gains were enough to keep all three main indexes positive on the week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 ending at new record highs.At the session's end, the blue-chip Dow was up 0.5% at 49,504 and the broader S&P 500 was 0.7% higher at 6,966. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.8% to 23,671, but remains just below its all-time closing high of 23,958.47 from October 29.Market participants struck a glass-half-full outlook to the December jobs report, which showed the U.S. added 50,000 jobs last month, slightly less than economists expected. Figures for October and November were revised lower by a combined 76,000 jobs.Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special IssuesProfit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.However, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.4% from 4.6%."The December jobs report capped a disappointing 2025 for the U.S. job market, with meager payrolls growth that raised the unemployment rate progressively over the course of the year," says Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank. "Even so, job growth will likely broaden over the course of 2026 since economic policies are turning more expansionary."This morning's data and three consecutive rate cuts in late 2025 will likely have the Federal Reserve pause at its meeting later this month, Adams adds, though he expects more reductions later this year.According to CME FedWatch, futures traders are now pricing in a 95% chance the Fed will keep the federal funds rate unchanged when it meets in January, up from 89% one day ago. Betting odds are for the first quarter-point rate cut of 2026 to come in June – after Jerome Powell's term as Fed chair is up – with at least one more anticipated by year's end.The next few weeks will be busy with a string of economic reports set to be released ahead of the next Fed meeting and fourth-quarter earnings season about to kick off.With the December jobs report now in the books, Wall Street will turn to Tuesday morning's release of the December Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is expected to "pick up" following December's distorted results, say Wells Fargo economists Sarah House, Michael Pugliese and Nicole Cervi.Still, the group expects December's CPI and core CPI to be lower compared to September's data and "indicate that inflation has resumed its descent."We'll also start to see corporate earnings reports start to roll in, with air carrier Delta Air Lines (DAL) and big bank JPMorgan Chase (JPM) disclosing their Q4 results ahead of Tuesday's open.While no earnings reports were released today, Intel (INTC, +10.8%) made headlines after President Donald Trump boasted about the United States' investment in the chipmaker."I just finished a great meeting with the very successful Intel CEO, Lip-Bu Tan," Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday. "The United States Government is proud to be a Shareholder of Intel, and has already made, through its U.S.A. ownership position, Tens of Billions of Dollars for the American People — IN JUST FOUR MONTHS."The U.S. agreed to take a 10% stake in INTC in late August, and since then, shares are up nearly 84%. In fact, Intel finished 2025 as one of the hottest S&P 500 stocks of the year.But given Intel's long-term struggles, Wall Street is still on the sidelines. Of the 45 analysts covering the former Dow Jones stock who are tracked by S&P Global Market Intelligence, six say it's a Buy or Strong Buy, 32 have it at Hold and seven rate it at Sell or Strong Sell. This works out to a consensus recommendation of Hold.Oklo (OKLO, +7.9%) and Vistra (VST, +10.5%) closed out the week on a strong note, after Facebook parent Meta Platforms (META, +1.1%) announced agreements with the nuclear power providers.According to Meta, its partnerships with the two companies, as well as Constellation Energy (CEG, +6.2%) and privately held TerraPower, will unlock 6.6 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear energy by 2025. The company will use to support its artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives.Snowballing demand for all things AI has generated impressive returns for several utility stocks over the past year. Oklo, for one, has seen its share price quadruple over the past 12 months, while Vistra has more than doubled.Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.With over a decade of experience writing about the stock market, Karee Venema is the senior investing editor at Kiplinger.com. She joined the publication in April 2021 after 10 years of working as an investing writer and columnist at a local investment research firm. In her previous role, Karee focused primarily on options trading, as well as technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis. With home insurance rates on the rise, you might be hoping to at least claim the cost as a tax deduction. Here's what you need to know ahead of tax season. The December jobs report signaled a sluggish labor market, but it's not weak enough for the Fed to cut rates later this month. The president says the move could improve housing affordability. Here’s what the data shows about investor ownership, recent buying trends and what it could mean for homebuyers. The December jobs report signaled a sluggish labor market, but it's not weak enough for the Fed to cut rates later this month. While January is the perfect time to strengthen your financial well-being, you're more likely to succeed if you set realistic goals and work with a partner. If you've acquired assets over time, even just a home and some savings, you have an estate. That means you need a plan for that estate for your beneficiaries. Choosing the cheapest policy could cost you when you have a loss. You'll get the best results if you focus on the right coverage with the help of a good agent. Money market funds are a safe option for your cash, but ultra-short and short-term bond ETFs also deserve consideration. Here are seven reasons why.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average outperformed on strength in cyclical stocks. We know the economy is unpredictable and markets will do what they do, no matter who predicts what. Here's how to focus on what you can control. Face-to-face conversations between advisers and clients provide the human touch that encourages accountability and a real connection.