Stocks

Jim Cramer said OpenAI should raise at least $200B, citing a $300B obligation to Oracle, to shore up the data center trade. He warned the sector could slump without swift funding and floated a $1T valuation. U.S. stocks rose on December 19, with AI-linked names such as Oracle and Nvidia gaining.

Spot XRP ETFs have logged 25 consecutive trading days without net outflows since the Nov. 13 U.S. launch, reaching $1.070 billion in cumulative net inflows by Friday. Weekly additions of $82.04 million surpassed BTC and ETH products, which saw nearly $500 million and $650 million outflows, while Solana funds remained positive for 12 straight days.

VanEck filed a third amendment with the SEC for a spot Avalanche (AVAX) ETF, seeking a Nasdaq listing under the ticker VAVX. The filing sets a 0.30% management fee and names Coinbase Crypto Services for staking, Anchorage Digital Bank as primary custodian, and State Street for cash. It also references Coinbase Custody for secondary services.

On December 20, 2025, JPMorgan Chase's Dubravko Lakos said in a CNBC interview that the S&P 500 could climb to 8,000 in 2026 if the Federal Reserve eases more than one additional time. If the Fed delivers only one further cut, the bank's target is 7,000–7,500. Lakos added that rate reductions may support weaker parts of a "k-shaped" economy.

On December 20, 2025, performance data showed gold and silver-focused funds led 2025 rankings. Franklin Gold and Precious Metals Fund returned 184.33%, with multiple UK and EU strategies posting gains above 150%. Record gold above $4,300/oz and silver crossing $60/oz were cited as drivers, alongside easing-rate expectations and macro uncertainty.

On December 20 2025, the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a 2024 ruling and reinstated Elon Musk's $56 billion Tesla compensation plan from 2018, returning 303 million shares valued at about $150 billion. The decision leaves Tesla to determine the fate of a newer pay proposal that could have reached $1 trillion, while awarding $54.5 million in legal fees to the shareholder plaintiff's attorneys.

Moore Threads unveiled new AI hardware in Beijing, with CEO Zhang Jianzhong introducing the Huagang architecture and Huashan chips aimed at reducing reliance on Nvidia. Zhang said Huagang raises computing density by 50% and improves energy efficiency ten times, and the company expects mass production in 2026 alongside updates to its MUSA platform and server lines.

Bernstein said Nvidia is trading at 25x forward earnings, putting it in the 11th percentile of its 10‑year valuation range and about a 13% discount to the PHLX Semiconductor Sector Index. The firm maintained an outperform rating with a $275 price target, noting shares are up 34% in 2025 while the PHLX Semiconductor Index has gained 41%.

In October, MSCI proposed removing companies like Strategy, whose digital assets make up at least 50% of total assets, from its global equity benchmarks. Analysts at TD Cowen and JPMorgan estimate that Strategy could face between $2.8 billion and $8.8 billion in share outflows if it is dropped from MSCI and other major indexes. The firm's executives warn that such exclusions could hinder access to around $15 trillion in passive capital and pressure the wider Bitcoin treasury segment.

Bitcoin hovered around $90,000 and repeatedly failed to hold above $92,000 over the past month amid softer US labor data and cooling growth. On Dec. 9 Target trimmed its fourth quarter outlook; on Dec. 10 Macy's warned inflation would squeeze margins; on Dec. 18 Nike posted lower quarterly sales. The chance of a Jan. 28 rate cut fell to 22% and the 10-year Treasury yield stood at 4.15%.