Weekly Market Update – December 15, 2025
- Taylor Champion
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Price Return Last Week
S&P 500 (0.6%) S&P Mid Cap +0.9% Russell 2000 +1.2%
MSCI EAFE +0.9% MSCI EM +0.4%
10 Yr US Treasury Rate – rose from 4.14% to 4.20%
Source: Refinitiv Eikon
Recent News
Fed Cuts Rates – The Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-3 to lower interest rates by 0.25%. This brings the federal-funds rate to a range of 3.5-3.75%, a three-year low. Of the three dissenters, two voted to keep rates the same and one voted for a 0.50% reduction. Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted after the meeting that “the labor market has continued to cool gradually, maybe just a touch more gradually, than we thought.”
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Fed Projections – Alongside the decision to lower interest rates, the Fed released new projections on growth and interest rate for the coming years. Of particular note was that six officials expect interest rates to be higher at the end of 2026 than where they were before the cut on Wednesday. However, the majority of officials called for one additional cut next year. Market expectations after the meeting were for two additional cuts by the end of 2026.
Source: Refinitiv Eikon, The Wall Street Journal
S&P 500 Reaches New High – The S&P 500 index hit a new record high on Thursday, a day after the Fed decided to lower rates. While the technology sector has languished recently, the financials sector closed at a record high, helped in part by large credit card processing stocks recent gains.
Source: CNBC.com
Let’s See Your Passport and Your Appendix – In the town of Villas Las Estrellas in Antarctica, residents are required to have their appendix removed before maintaining residency. The closest major hospital is over 600 miles away and none of the local doctors are surgeons capable of handling an appendectomy, making the removal a necessity for long-term residents. Despite the precautions, the town is populated by approximately 100 people, with most of them in the military or scientific community.
Source: BBC
Upcoming Events
12/16 – Jobs Report, Retail Sales, S&P Manufacturing PMI, S&P Services PMI
12/17 – Notable Earnings Reports: Micron
12/18 – CPI, Bank of England Meeting, European Central Bank Meeting, Bank of Japan
Meeting, Notable Earnings Reports: Accenture, FedEx, Nike
12/19 – PCE
Source: Refinitiv Eikon