{"id":48488,"date":"2024-12-02T12:28:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T12:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins\/48488\/"},"modified":"2024-12-02T12:28:43","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T12:28:43","slug":"stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins\/48488\/","title":{"rendered":"Stock Market Today: Futures Slip as December Trading Begins"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins\/48488\/#Major_Indexes_Retreat_After_Strong_November_Performance\" >Major Indexes Retreat After Strong November Performance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins\/48488\/#Novembers_Market_Rally_A_Post-Election_Surge\" >November&#8217;s Market Rally: A Post-Election Surge<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins\/48488\/#Small-Cap_Stocks_Shine_Amid_Tax_Cut_Expectations\" >Small-Cap Stocks Shine Amid Tax Cut Expectations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins\/48488\/#Key_Economic_Data_and_Events_to_Watch\" >Key Economic Data and Events to Watch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins\/48488\/#Global_Market_Trends_and_Influences\" >Global Market Trends and Influences<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/stock-market-today-futures-slip-as-december-trading-begins\/48488\/#Looking_Ahead_Market_Expectations_and_Potential_Catalysts\" >Looking Ahead: Market Expectations and Potential Catalysts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Major_Indexes_Retreat_After_Strong_November_Performance\"><\/span>Major Indexes Retreat After Strong November Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As of Monday, December 2, 2024, U.S. stock futures are showing a slight decline, signaling a cautious start to the final month of the year. This comes on the heels of a robust November, which saw significant gains across major market indexes.<\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/sp500\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"snp500 today\">S&#038;P 500<\/a> futures<\/b> were down 0.13%, <b>Nasdaq 100 futures<\/b> decreased by 0.17%, and <b><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/dowjones\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Dow Jones Today\">Dow Jones<\/a> Industrial Average futures<\/b> slipped by 19 points as of early morning trading. These minor setbacks follow an impressive month where the Dow and S&#038;P 500 recorded their best performances of 2024.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Novembers_Market_Rally_A_Post-Election_Surge\"><\/span>November&#8217;s Market Rally: A Post-Election Surge<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>November proved to be a stellar month for the stock market, largely driven by a strong post-election rally following President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s victory. The <b>Dow Jones<\/b> surged 7.5%, while the <b>S&#038;P 500<\/b> gained 5.7%, marking their best monthly performances of 2024. The <b>Nasdaq Composite<\/b> wasn&#8217;t far behind, posting a 6.2% increase for the month.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, both the Dow and S&#038;P 500 reached new all-time intraday and closing highs during Friday&#8217;s shortened trading session. The Dow briefly surpassed the 45,000 mark for the first time in history, underscoring the market&#8217;s bullish sentiment.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Small-Cap_Stocks_Shine_Amid_Tax_Cut_Expectations\"><\/span>Small-Cap Stocks Shine Amid Tax Cut Expectations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Small-cap stocks emerged as significant winners in November, with investors anticipating potential benefits from Trump&#8217;s proposed tax cuts. The <b>Russell 2000<\/b>, a key small-cap index, surged more than 10% in November, also marking its largest monthly gain of the year.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Economic_Data_and_Events_to_Watch\"><\/span>Key Economic Data and Events to Watch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As December trading begins, investors are closely monitoring several important economic indicators and events:<\/p>\n<p>1. <b>Manufacturing and Construction Data:<\/b> Today&#8217;s release of the S&#038;P final U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers&#8217; Index (<a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/?stock=PMI\">PMI<\/a>) and Construction Spending reports will provide insights into the economy&#8217;s health.<\/p>\n<p>2. <b>Labor Market Reports:<\/b> A series of closely watched labor data is expected later in the week, including the U.S. Unemployment Rate.<\/p>\n<p>3. <b>Federal Reserve Speeches:<\/b> Investors will be tuning in to speeches from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller and New York Fed President John Williams for potential clues about monetary policy direction.<\/p>\n<p>4. <b>Corporate Earnings:<\/b> Several major companies are set to release their quarterly results this week, including Salesforce (<a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/exchanges\/nyse\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"NYSE Today\">NYSE<\/a>: CRM), Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL), ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT), Chewy (NYSE: CHWY), and Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Global_Market_Trends_and_Influences\"><\/span>Global Market Trends and Influences<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While U.S. futures show a slight decline, Asian markets demonstrated strength on Monday. The <b>Hang Seng Index<\/b> in Hong Kong gained 0.65%, while Japan&#8217;s <b>Nikkei<\/b> and <b>Topix<\/b> indices closed higher by 0.80% and 1.27%, respectively. This positive performance was attributed to strong manufacturing data from China and increased capital expenditure by Japanese firms.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, European markets opened lower, with France&#8217;s <b>CAC 40<\/b> falling 0.77% amid ongoing political volatility. Germany&#8217;s <b>DAX<\/b> was down 0.15%, while the U.K.&#8217;s <b>FTSE 100<\/b> remained flat.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Looking_Ahead_Market_Expectations_and_Potential_Catalysts\"><\/span>Looking Ahead: Market Expectations and Potential Catalysts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As we enter the final month of 2024, market participants are weighing several factors that could influence trading:<\/p>\n<p>1. <b>Year-End Rally:<\/b> Historically, the last two weeks of December and the first two weeks of January have been favorable for stocks, potentially setting the stage for further gains.<\/p>\n<p>2. <b>Political Developments:<\/b> Investors will be closely watching any policy announcements or indications from the incoming Trump administration that could impact markets.<\/p>\n<p>3. <b>Fed Policy:<\/b> With Fed Chair Jerome Powell set to speak later in the week, any hints about future monetary policy could sway market sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>4. <b>Corporate Performance:<\/b> As earnings season continues, strong results could provide additional support for the market&#8217;s upward trajectory.<\/p>\n<p>As investors navigate the final stretch of 2024, the stock market&#8217;s performance in December will be crucial in determining whether the year&#8217;s impressive gains can be maintained or extended. With a mix of optimism from recent rallies and caution due to global economic uncertainties, market participants will need to stay vigilant and adaptable in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Major Indexes Retreat After Strong November Performance As of Monday, December 2, 2024, U.S. stock futures are showing a slight [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[751],"class_list":["post-48488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-market-update","tag-pmi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}