U.S. stocks closed mixed on Thursday as investors awaited key economic data, including September spending, income, and the consumer spending price index (the Fed's primary inflation gauge), along with the University of Michigan's December consumer sentiment survey.
**U.S. Markets** The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 31.96 points, or 0.07%, to 47,850.94. The Nasdaq Composite rose 51.04 points, or 0.22%, to 23,505.14, while the S&P 500 gained 7.40 points, or 0.11%, to 6,857.12. Meta Platforms, Inc. (META.US) surged over 3.4%, Tesla (TSLA.US) climbed more than 1.7%, and Apple (AAPL.US) declined over 1.2%.
**European Markets** Germany’s DAX 30 rose 212.58 points (0.90%) to 23,895.03, while the UK’s FTSE 100 added 23.03 points (0.24%) to 9,715.10. France’s CAC 40 gained 34.61 points (0.43%) to 8,122.03, and the Euro Stoxx 50 increased 25.94 points (0.46%) to 5,720.50. Spain’s IBEX 35 rose 153.26 points (0.92%) to 16,738.96, and Italy’s FTSE MIB advanced 138.36 points (0.32%) to 43,519.00.
**Commodities** NYMEX WTI crude for January 2026 delivery rose 72 cents (1.22%) to $59.67 per barrel, while Brent crude for February delivery increased 59 cents (0.94%) to $63.26 per barrel.
**Cryptocurrencies** Bitcoin fell 1.2% to $92,310.95, and Ethereum dropped over 1.6% to $3,136.99.
**Currency & Metals** The U.S. dollar index rose 0.14% to 98.990. Spot gold edged up 0.14% to $4,208.73 per ounce.
**Macro Updates** - U.S. initial jobless claims dropped to 191,000, though analysts cautioned that Thanksgiving holiday distortions may have understated the figure. Revelio Labs projected a net loss of ~9,000 jobs in November, with layoffs concentrated in retail, leisure, and manufacturing. - The U.S. Treasury’s debt surpassed $30 trillion, doubling since 2018. Interest payments alone reached $1.2 trillion. - Mortgage rates hit their lowest since October 2022 at 6.19%, sparking a 2.5% weekly rise in purchase applications.
**Corporate News** - Meta Platforms, Inc. (META.US) may slash its metaverse budget by 30% amid slower-than-expected industry adoption. - Apple (AAPL.US) announced leadership changes, with Jennifer Newstead set to become chief legal officer in 2026. - The EU is soliciting feedback on Google’s (GOOG.US) proposed antitrust compliance plan for its ad-tech business.
