The Nasdaq led US stocks higher on Monday as Wall Street calculated the chances of a year-end rally. Gold climbed to a record amid rising Venezuela tensions. Tech stocks are recovering from a volatile streak, boosted by positive developments for Oracle and Nvidia. Investors are eyeing a Santa Claus rally as stocks are near record highs. Geopolitical tensions lifted gold and silver to fresh record highs. Oil futures also gained as the US increased its blockade of Venezuela.
Stocks rose to begin the holiday-shortened week as investors hoped for a seasonal Santa Claus rally. The Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Dow Jones all saw gains, with gold and silver also rising. Crude oil prices increased after the US intercepted a third Venezuelan oil tanker.
Workplace services giant Cintas launched a second takeover bid for rival UniFirst at $275 per share. UniFirst shares surged by more than 27%, while Cintas slipped by roughly 1.3%. Cintas’ offer comes after ending talks with UniFirst last year at the same per-share price.
Larry Ellison agreed to personally backstop $40.4 billion in equity financing for Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount shares spiked over 3% in premarket trading. Paramount’s offer values WBD at $108.4 billion in an all-cash acquisition.
Rocket Lab stock rose after securing an $816 million contract with the US Space Force and launching its Electron rocket for the 21st time this year. The contract with the US Space Development Agency marks Rocket Lab’s largest single contract to date. The stock’s gains put its year-to-date increase at 176%.
Oil rose as the US intensified its blockade on Venezuela, with Brent crude climbing to around $61 a barrel. The US Coast Guard boarded an oil tanker laden with Venezuelan crude and was in pursuit of another tanker. Rising geopolitical tensions have helped support oil prices.
DJT, Tesla, Micron Technology, and Honeywell stocks were trending in premarket trading. DJT stock rose over 5% following a merger announcement with nuclear fusion company TAE Technologies. Tesla rose 1% after a court decision favored CEO Elon Musk. Micron Technology rose over 2% after a positive earnings report. Honeywell fell almost 1% after announcing an expected one-time charge related to a potential settlement.
The AI tug-of-war between FOMO and bubble angst spells more volatility in 2026. Investors are caught between fear of missing out on the AI rally and concern about a bubble burst. Equity volatility is expected to be supported in 2026 due to unstable asset bubbles.
Gold and silver hit all-time highs as geopolitical tensions rise. Gold climbed over 1.5% to surpass its previous record, while silver rallied as much as 3.4%. Rising geopolitical tensions and bets on further US rate cuts have added momentum to the precious metals’ strong performance.
Clearwater Analytics Holdings stock rose 7% after a group of private equity firms led by Permira and Warburg Pincus agreed to acquire the investment and accounting software maker for about $8.4 billion, including debt.
Read more at Yahoo Finance: Nasdaq, S&P 500, Dow rise as tech recovers, while gold climbs to record high