📈 Stocks / Finance

S&P 500, Dow Hit Fresh Records in Holiday-Shortened Session

CNBC

S&P 500 closed at a new record (6,932) in the Christmas Eve shortened session; the Dow also set a record. Nike jumped 4.6% after Tim Cook revealed a purchase. Q3 GDP revised to 4.3% damped early rate-cut hopes; Santa rally watched.

Nvidia Stock Watch Ahead of CES 2026

Investor’s Business Daily

Nvidia is IBD Stock of the Day ahead of CES 2026, where CEO Jensen Huang will outline its roadmap Jan. 5. NVDA is in an 8-week consolidation with a 212.19 buy point; actionable above the 50-day line or near the Nov. 20 high around 196.

Nike Rises After Tim Cook Buys Shares

Investopedia

Nike jumped ~4.5% after a filing showed Apple CEO and longtime Nike board member Tim Cook bought ~50,000 shares (~$3M) around $59—seen as a confidence signal amid Nike’s ~20% YTD drop and ongoing turnaround.

🪙 Crypto

Regulatory Wins, Uneven Crypto Returns in 2025

Yahoo Finance

Crypto got friendlier U.S. politics/regulation in 2025, spurring early rallies and IPO buzz, but prices stayed weak: BTC ~-6% mid-Dec, many tokens lower. Stablecoin/infrastructure names (Circle/USDC, Tether, Galaxy) outperformed; Coinbase flat, Gemini -60% since Sep.

🌎 Global Economy

Semiconductors: The Chips Behind Everything

Le Monde

Semiconductors are now as vital as oil, powering phones, cars, homes, and factories. These tiny chips—found by the thousands in everyday devices—have become one of the world’s most traded and strategically important products.

The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.

AI has changed how consumers shop by speeding up research. But one thing hasn’t changed: shoppers still trust people more than AI.

Levanta’s new Affiliate 3.0 Consumer Report reveals a major shift in how shoppers blend AI tools with human influence. Consumers use AI to explore options, but when it comes time to buy, they still turn to creators, communities, and real experiences to validate their decisions.

The data shows:

• Only 10% of shoppers buy through AI-recommended links

• 87% discover products through creators, blogs, or communities they trust

• Human sources like reviews and creators rank higher in trust than AI recommendations

The most effective brands are combining AI discovery with authentic human influence to drive measurable conversions.

Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified by it.

Download the full report to see what this means for your brand.