U.S. stock markets are navigating a holiday-shortened Black Friday session today, November 28, 2025, marked by early trading gains in futures that were briefly interrupted by a technical outage at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group). Despite this hiccup, major indexes are poised to close out the week with significant advances, although they remain on track for a monthly decline in November. The market's underlying sentiment continues to be buoyed by increasing expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in December, even as investors digest a mixed bag of corporate earnings and keep an eye on upcoming economic indicators.
Premarket Activity and Futures Movements
Premarket trading saw U.S. stock futures pointing slightly higher before a technical issue at CME Group (CME) temporarily halted trading for Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures. Before the halt, Nasdaq 100 futures were indicated up between 0.2% and 0.3%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.1% to 0.2%, and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 0.1% to 0.2%. The disruption was attributed to a cooling issue at CyrusOne data centers, impacting futures and options trading across various asset classes. Notably, futures in individual stocks were not affected by the CME outage. Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) tracking the major indices, such as SPY, QQQ, and DIA, also showed gains in premarket trading, up 0.7%, 0.8%, and 0.7% respectively.
Commodity markets also experienced premarket movements. WTI crude futures were up 0.7% at $59.10 per barrel before the trading halt. Gold futures saw a rise of 0.5%, reaching $4,220 to $4,221 per ounce. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note remained largely unchanged, hovering around 4.00% to 4.02%. In the cryptocurrency space, Bitcoin continued its upward trend, trading around $91,300 to $91,450, with Coinbase Global (COIN) seeing a premarket jump of 2.6% to 2.7%.
Major Market Indexes: Weekly Gains vs. Monthly Losses
Today marks an abbreviated trading session for Wall Street, with markets closing early at 1 p.m. ET for Black Friday, following the Thanksgiving holiday closure on Thursday. Despite the shortened week, the major U.S. equities indexes are on track for their most significant weekly gains since June. As of Wednesday's close, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) led the charge with a 4.2% increase for the first three sessions of the week. The benchmark S&P 500 (SPX) advanced approximately 3.2%, while the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) climbed about 2.6%.
However, these weekly surges come against a backdrop of a challenging November. All three major indexes are poised to end the month in negative territory, potentially snapping multi-month winning streaks. The Nasdaq is down 2.15% to 2.2% for the month, pressured by a pullback in megacap technology stocks. The S&P 500 has slipped 0.4% month-to-date, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 0.29% to 0.3%. Market sentiment has been largely driven by renewed optimism regarding artificial intelligence (AI) stocks and heightened expectations that the Federal Reserve will implement an interest rate cut at its December meeting, with futures pricing reflecting an over 80% probability of a quarter-point cut.
Upcoming Market Events
Today, November 28, 2025, is the final trading day of the month. While no major U.S. economic reports or significant earnings releases are scheduled for today, investors will be looking ahead to next week for a fresh batch of data. Key economic releases to watch include the Manufacturing Conditions ISM for November on Monday, December 1, and the Services Conditions ISM on Wednesday, December 3. Towards the end of next week, the Core Private Final Consumption Deflator inflation data for September and Personal Spending data for September are expected on Friday, December 5. Internationally, the Eurozone will release its CPI data for November and unemployment figures for October on Tuesday, December 2. China's November conditions PMIs are also due on Monday, December 1.
In terms of corporate events, Lands' End Inc. (LE) is scheduled to host a conference call on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, to discuss its third-quarter 2025 financial results.
Major Stock News and Corporate Developments
Several companies are making headlines today with significant corporate announcements and stock movements:
- CME Group (CME) saw its shares tick lower in premarket trading following the technical outage that halted futures trading.
- Robinhood Markets (HOOD) continued its impressive run, with shares gaining a further 1.5% in premarket trading. This builds on an almost 11% surge earlier in the week, fueled by news of the company expanding its offerings in prediction markets.
- Alphabet (GOOGL) shares rose 1% to 1.5% in premarket after the Google parent unveiled its advanced Gemini 3 AI model. The company is nearing a $4 trillion market capitalization, potentially joining tech giants Nvidia (NVDA) and Apple (AAPL) in this exclusive club.
- Jefferies Financial Group (JEF) saw its stock edge lower in premarket after a Financial Times report indicated that the SEC is investigating the firm's disclosures regarding its exposure to the now-collapsed auto parts company First Brands.
- Deere & Co. (DE) tumbled 5.7% after reporting fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 adjusted earnings that missed analysts' estimates and providing a cautious outlook for the next fiscal year.
- HP Inc. (HPQ) shares fell 1.4% following its fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 revenues, which lagged behind Zacks Consensus Estimates.
- Nutanix Inc. (NTNX) experienced a significant plunge of 17.8% in its shares after its first-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues came in below market expectations.
- Workday Inc. (WDAY) plummeted 7.9% (or 7.85%) after its full fiscal subscription revenue guidance failed to meet market expectations, leading several analysts to lower their price targets for the stock.
- Symbotic (SYM) jumped 12.95% in premarket after multiple analysts raised price targets, highlighting strong quarterly results.
- Zscaler (ZS) declined 13.03% following price target cuts and cautious guidance after mixed quarterly results.
- In the semiconductor sector, Micron Technology (MU) gained 3.24% in premarket, reflecting continued activity in the AI and semiconductor theme.
- Crypto-linked stocks also saw advances, with Bitfarms (BITF) rising 3.55% and BitMine (BMNR) jumping 4.51% in premarket.
- Nordic American Tankers Ltd. (NAT) reported its third-quarter 2025 earnings, disclosing a net book loss of $2.8 million. Despite this, the company announced a consistent dividend of $0.13 per share, marking its 113th consecutive quarterly payout, and revealed plans for the construction of two new Suezmax tankers.
- Globally, Wipro (WIT) announced a multi-year partnership with Odido Netherlands B.V. to revamp its IT landscape.
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) signed a five-year agreement with SAP to modernize the German software firm's enterprise-wide cloud and generative AI operations.
- Adani Enterprises (ADANIENT) subsidiary Adani Airport Holdings assumed operational control of AGHPort Aviation Services, and the Adani Group is set to acquire a 72.8% stake in Flight Simulation Technique Centre (FSTC).
- Refex Industries (REFEXIND) secured a significant order worth ₹100 crore from a large business conglomerate.
As the shortened trading day progresses, investors will be closely watching for any further developments from the CME Group regarding the futures trading halt and how the major indexes ultimately close out a volatile, yet ultimately positive, Thanksgiving week.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.