As the trading week concluded, the divergence seen in the performance of major U.Sstock indices has captured the attention of analysts and investors alikeThe Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell for the seventh consecutive day, marking its longest losing streak since AprilThroughout the week, the Dow dropped by 1.82%, while the S&P 500 index experienced a modest decrease of 0.64%. In contrast, the NASDAQ managed a slight recovery, gaining 0.34% over the same period.

By the end of the trading session on Friday, the DJIA had retreated by 86.06 points, closing at 43,828.06—a decline of 0.20%. Meanwhile, the NASDAQ rose slightly by 23.88 points, ending at 19,926.72, reflecting an increase of 0.12%. The S&P 500 saw a negligible drop of just 0.16 points, finalizing at 6,051.09. Within this fluctuating landscape, notable stock performances included Tesla (TSLA) rising by 4.34% and Broadcom (AVGO) surging an impressive 24.43%. In contrast, both Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD) saw declines, shedding 2.25% and 2.83%, respectively.

Looking beyond the shores of the United States, European markets presented a mixed picture

Germany's DAX30 index edged up a mere 2.04 points or 0.01%, settling at 20,430.95 pointsMeanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 dipped by 12.11 points (0.15%), completing its session at 8,299.65. The French CAC40 experienced a similar trend, dropping 11.37 points, also representing a 0.15% decrease, and closing at 7,409.57. The situation in Spain showed the IBEX35 down by 12.13 points (0.10%), while Italy's FTSE MIB index rose by 32.63 points, or 0.09%, bringing it to 34,890.00 pointsThe pan-European STOXX 50 index slightly increased by 1.92 points, or 0.04%, ending at 4,967.45 points.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Nikkei 225 saw a downturn of 0.95%, along with Indonesia's Jakarta Composite Index, which also fell by 0.94%. On a more positive note, South Korea's KOSPI index managed a rise of 0.5%. The cryptocurrency market was marked by Bitcoin's impressive surge, which rose above 1.4%, reaching $101,448 per coin.

The commodity sector displayed volatility, particularly with gold prices falling below the $2,660 per ounce mark, reflecting a decline of 0.77% for the day

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In the oil market, European benchmark Brent crude for February rose by $1.08 to close at $74.49 per barrel—an increase of 1.47%. Similarly, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for January delivered a gain of $1.27, which is a 1.81% rise, bringing its price to $71.29 per barrel, a level not seen since November 7. Analysts pointed out that oil supply might tighten with potential additional sanctions on Iran, alongside signs of a possible oversupply situation globally.

In the foreign exchange market, the U.Sdollar showed upward momentum, climbing nearly 1% over the week, while the Japanese yen declined significantly, dropping over 2% this week to hover around 154. Meanwhile, the offshore Chinese yuan dipped below the 7.29 mark at one point.

The macroeconomic landscape revealed intriguing developmentsNotably, U.Simport prices saw an unexpected increase for the second consecutive month, largely due to rising fuel costs as geopolitical tensions escalated fuel prices

According to data released by the U.SLabor Department, November saw import prices rise by 0.1% month-on-month, contrary to economists' expectations for a 0.2% declineThe increase in fuel costs was attributed to rising tensions in the Middle East, which has resulted in a 0.4% uptick in the price of imported oil during November; this follows a notable decrease of 12% between July and OctoberFurthermore, non-oil imports also rose by 0.2%.

American public sentiment towards the new administration's capability in appointing qualified cabinet members appeared somewhat skepticalA recent poll conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicated that half of Americans lack confidence in the new cabinet and key administrative positions.

In investments, Bank of America reported a noteworthy trend—investors surged back into Chinese stocks last weekStrategists identified that an influx of approximately $5.6 billion was observed into China-focused equity funds within the week ending on Wednesday, marking the largest inflow in nine weeks

According to Michael Hartnett, a strategist at Bank of America, the first quarter of next year could be a significant entry point for non-U.SequitiesHe also warned of the potential for a market adjustment in early next year due to the significant positions that investors have placed in response to rising U.Sdollar and Treasury yieldsHe speculated that under persistent inflation, which could push the Federal Reserve to become more hawkish, bonds, gold, and international stocks could become attractive assets.

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced changes to the publication schedule for its emergency pandemic purchase programme dataEffective December 5, 2024, the governing council approved changes in the timing of monetary policy data releases related to the emergency purchases, as the end of the programme approaches, marking the first time since 2014 that the euro system will not purchase bonds under either the asset purchasing programme or the emergency pandemic purchase programme

These adjustments are intended to ensure that data transparency is maintained at a proper level for future releasesThe ECB plans to release data monthly, aligning it with corresponding asset purchasing programme data series, while historical monthly data series since the start of the emergency programme will also be publishedThis adjustment is set to take effect from January 8, 2025.

On an individual stock basis, Broadcom experienced a significant surge, with its market capitalization surpassing the $1 trillion markAs a supplier of chips for many sizable technology companies, including Apple, Broadcom's market cap soared following forecasts of a considerable rise in demand for its artificial intelligence chipsDuring a recent conference call, company representatives indicated that sales for AI-related products are expected to grow by an impressive 65% in the first fiscal quarter, significantly outpacing the broader semiconductor growth of approximately 10%. They further projected that the potential market size for AI components designed for data center operators could reach as high as $90 billion by the fiscal year 2027. Similar to Nvidia, Broadcom is positioning itself as a primary beneficiary in the surging AI expenditure.

In other noteworthy news, a transition team recommended that the incoming government repeal the current mandate requiring car manufacturers to report accidents linked to autonomous driving systems

If this requirement is abolished, it would benefit Tesla, which has reported over 1,500 such accidents to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under the existing mandateFollowing the proposal, Tesla's stock closed up more than 4% on Friday.

Investors who have engaged with Elon Musk's business ventures have seen lucrative returns, with some funds reportedly soaring by as much as 500%. Be it Wall Street funds or small-time traders, those who placed substantial bets on Musk’s enterprises during the year are expected to reap significant profits, facilitated by an increase in the valuations of his companies, including Tesla and private unicorn ventures like SpaceX and xAI, driving Musk's personal wealth beyond $400 billionOne particular closed-end fund, Destiny Tech100 Inc., has benefitted immensely, surging over 500% since November 5. This fund, which invests heavily in shares of unicorn companies, particularly has allocated over a third of its holdings to SpaceX, capturing the attention of retail investors and driving its trading price well above its underlying asset valuation, leading to a remarkable premium in the market.

Finally, a recent study has lent weight to earlier Harvard findings suggesting a link between Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Ozempic and rare visual loss