<p>U.S. stock futures rose on Monday after Friday’s higher close. Futures of major benchmark indices advanced.</p>



<p>In the last week, the S&amp;P 500 dropped 0.37%, whereas the Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones slipped 0.10% and 0.95%, respectively.</p>



<p>Trading will be suspended on Thursday following an abbreviated session on Wednesday, with equity markets closing at 1:00 p.m. EST and bond markets at 2:00 p.m. EST. Despite the shortened schedule, investors have several economic indicators to digest, highlighted by the initial figures for third-quarter GDP. </p>



<p>Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.16%, and the two-year bond was at 3.49%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing an 80.1% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Futures</strong></td><td><strong>Change (+/-)</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Dow Jones</td><td>0.10%</td></tr><tr><td>S&amp;P 500</td><td>0.36%</td></tr><tr><td>Nasdaq 100</td><td>0.56%</td></tr><tr><td>Russell 2000</td><td>0.38%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>The<strong> SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust</strong> (NYSE:SPY) and <strong>Invesco QQQ Trust ETF</strong> (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&amp;P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, were higher in premarket on Monday. The SPY was up 0.33% at $682.81, while the QQQ advanced 0.41% to $619.60, according to Benzinga Pro data.</p>



<h2><strong>Stocks In Focus</strong></h2>



<h2>Trump Media &amp; Technology Group</h2>



<ul>
<li><strong>Trump Media &amp; Technology Group Corp.</strong> (NASDAQ:DJT) was up 3.67%, continuing to soar on the news that it has completed a $6 billion merger with fusion company TAE Technologies.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>DJT maintained a weaker price trend over the long term but a strong trend in the short and medium terms. Additional performance details, as per <strong>Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings</strong>, are available here.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"></figure>



<h2>Kemper</h2>



<ul>
<li><strong>Kemper Corp.</strong> (NYSE:KMPR) shares tumbled 6.84% after <strong>William Blair </strong>downgraded the stock from outperform to market perform, citing deteriorating auto insurance fundamentals, as per an Investing.com report. </li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>It maintains a weaker price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a strong value ranking. Additional performance details, as per <strong>Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings</strong>, are available here.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"></figure>



<h2>Tokyo Lifestyle</h2>



<ul>
<li><strong>Tokyo Lifestyle Co. Ltd.</strong> (NASDAQ:TKLF) slumped 8.72% after reporting half-year (H1) losses of 2 cents per share, versus year-ago earnings of 3 cents per share. The company’s sales jumped to $190.421 million from $98.003 million in the same period last year. T</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li><strong>Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings</strong> indicate that BB maintains a weaker price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a poor value ranking. Additional performance details are available here.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"></figure>



<h2>Comfort Systems</h2>



<ul>
<li><strong>Comfort Systems USA Inc.</strong> (NYSE:FIX) rose 2.35% after naming COO <strong>Trent T. McKenna </strong>as president, effective Jan. 1.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>FIX maintains a stronger price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a solid quality ranking. Additional performance details, as per <strong>Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings</strong>, are available here.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"></figure>



<h2>cbdMD</h2>



<ul>
<li><strong>cbdMD Inc</strong>. (NYSE:YCBD) advanced 3.13% despite posting a loss of 8 cents per share for the fourth quarter, compared to market estimates of a loss of 7 cents per share. The company’s sales came in at $4.721 million, beating estimates of $4.702 million.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li><strong>Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings </strong>shows that YCBD maintains a stronger price trend over the short and medium terms but a weak trend in the long term, with a poor growth ranking. Additional information is available here.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"></figure>



<h2><strong>Cues From Last Session</strong></h2>



<p>Information technology, industrials, and health care stocks led the S&amp;P 500's advance on Friday, while consumer staples and utilities defied the trend to close lower.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Index</strong></td><td><strong>Performance (+/-)</strong></td><td><strong>Value</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Nasdaq Composite</td><td>1.31%</td><td>23,307.62</td></tr><tr><td>S&amp;P 500</td><td>0.88%</td><td>6,834.50</td></tr><tr><td>Dow Jones</td><td>0.38%</td><td>48,134.89</td></tr><tr><td>Russell 2000</td><td>0.86%</td><td>2,529.42</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<h2><strong>Insights From Analysts</strong></h2>



<p>In his Substack post, <strong>Mohamed El-Erian </strong>forecasts a precarious economic path defined by an “ambiguous data landscape” and significant policy fragmentation.</p>



<p>Looking ahead to 2026, he sees the U.S. economy locked in a “tense tug-of-war” between three scenarios: a “Goldilocks-lite” baseline, a productivity-fueled upside driven by AI, and a volatile downside risk where employment potentially decouples from GDP.</p>



<p>In the immediate term, El-Erian warns that market stability hinges on “high-stakes geopolitics in the context of thin market liquidity.”</p>



<p>He specifically points to the intensifying U.S. blockade of Venezuela as a potential flashpoint that could disrupt the traditionally quiet holiday period.</p>



<p>He further highlights a “widening divergence among the world's major central banks” as a critical theme.</p>



<p>While the Bank of England cuts rates and the Bank of Japan hikes to 30-year highs, the U.S. outlook remains clouded by data quality issues following the recent government shutdown.</p>



<p>Ultimately, El-Erian expects investors will have to navigate this volatility alongside a U.S. administration aggressively focused on “lowering the cost of living.”</p>



<p><strong>See Also: How to Trade Futures</strong></p>



<h2><strong>Upcoming Economic Data</strong></h2>



<p>Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on this week;</p>



<ul>
<li>No economic data is scheduled to be released on Monday.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>On Tuesday, the third quarter’s delayed GDP report, and October’s delayed durable-goods orders will be out by 8:30 a.m. Also, October and November’s industrial production and capacity utilization data will be released by 9:15 a.m. Lastly, December’s consumer confidence data will be out by 10:00 a.m. ET.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>On Wednesday, the initial jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 20 will be released by 8:30 a.m. ET.</li>
</ul>



<ul>
<li>No data is scheduled to be released on Thursday and Friday.</li>
</ul>



<h2><strong>Commodities, Gold, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets</strong></h2>



<p>Crude oil futures were trading higher in the early New York session by 0.99% to hover around $57.08 per barrel.</p>



<p>Gold Spot US Dollar rose 1.73% to hover around $4,413.65 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $4,420.35 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.08% lower at the 98.5240 level.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, <strong>Bitcoin </strong>(CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 0.84% higher at $89,659.52 per coin.</p>



<p>Asian markets closed higher on Monday, as India’s NIFTY 50 and Australia's ASX 200, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, China’s CSI 300, South Korea's Kospi, and Japan's Nikkei 225 indices rose. European markets were mixed in early trade.</p>



<p><strong>Read Next:</strong></p>



<ul>
<li><strong>Famed Short Seller Jim Chanos Slams Elon Musk’s ‘No Need To Save Money’ Narrative: ‘No Need For Elevated Stock Prices Then, Either’</strong></li>
</ul>



<p><em>Image via Shutterstock</em></p>

YCBD

DJTWW

<p>U.S. stock futures rose on Monday, with major indices like the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones showing gains. Notable stock movements include Trump Media & Technology Group rising 3.67% after a merger, Kemper falling 6.84% due to a downgrade, and cbdMD advancing 3.13% despite a quarterly loss. Mohamed El-Erian warns of economic volatility due to geopolitical tensions and central bank divergences.</p>

Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 Futures Climb At The Start Of Christmas Week— Kemper, Trump Media & Technology, cbdMD In Focus