Stock Market Today, Dec. 19: AI Optimism and Inflation Data Buoys Stocks
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By Emma Newbery – Dec 19, 2025 at 5:03PM ESTSNPINDEX: ^GSPCS&P 500 IndexMarket Cap$0.0KToday's Changeangle-down(0.88%) $59.74Current Price$6834.50Price as of December 19, 2025 at 4:59 PM ETOn Dec. 19, 2025, upbeat AI sentiment helped lift major U.S. indexes even as quad‑witching volatility kept trading choppy.The S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.88%) rose 0.88% to 6,834.50, the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC +1.31%) gained 1.31% to 23,307.62 on tech strength, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDEX: ^DJI) added 0.38% to 48,134.89, all navigating volatile quad‑witching flows.Market moversAI‑linked and broader tech names led market gains today. Strength in Oracle (ORCL +7.03%) and Micron Technology (MU +6.99%) bouyed prices while consumer stocks lagged. Nike (NKE 10.54%) and Lamb Weston (LW 25.94%) slid on underwhelming earnings and guidance, weighing on retail and staples.What this means for investorsQuadruple witching is something that happens four times a year, and today -- the third Friday of December -- was one. It's when stock index futures, stock index options, stock options, and single stock futures all expire at the same time. These are often days with high trading volumes and a lot of volatility, which was borne out by today's choppy swings.This week's reports of cooling inflation and a softer labor market have reinforced expectations that the Fed will cut rates again early next year. However, Apollo Global Management warned that stagflation is a major risk next year, especially if AI does not deliver.Meanwhile, mixed results from Nike and Lamb Weston underscore challenges in consumer-facing sectors. Nike beat analyst earnings and revenue estimates, but the stock fell due to investor concern over profits and sales in China. On a related note, the University of Michigan revised its December consumer sentiment expectations downwards due to high prices and weak hiring.Read NextDec 19, 2025 •By Billy DubersteinWall Street Has a Federal Reserve Problem That Could Turn Ugly for Stocks in 2026Dec 18, 2025 •By Adam LevyCan the Stock Market Keep Climbing in 2026?
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History Says This May Happen in 2026.Dec 17, 2025 •By Emma NewberyStock Market Today, Dec. 17: AI Concentration Fears Weigh on MarketsAbout the AuthorEmma Newberry is a contributing Motley Fool cryptocurrency analyst covering digital currencies and blockchain trends. She previously wrote for Motley Fool Money (formerly The Ascent) on personal finance, investing, retirement readiness, and crypto. Earlier in her career, Emma founded an English-language newspaper in Colombia and contributed to Olympic city bid campaigns. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature with creative writing from the University of East Anglia in the UK.TMFemmanewberyStocks MentionedS&P 500 IndexSNPINDEX: ^GSPC$6834.50 (+0.01%) $+59.74NASDAQ Composite IndexNASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC$23307.62 (+0.01%) $+301.26Dow Jones Industrial AverageDJINDICES: ^DJI$48134.89 (+0.00%) $+183.04OracleNYSE: ORCL$192.68 (+0.07%) $+12.65Micron TechnologyNASDAQ: MU$265.92 (+0.07%) $+17.37NikeNYSE: NKE$58.71 (0.11%) $6.92Lamb WestonNYSE: LW$43.94 (0.26%) $15.39*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.Advertisement