Stocks Win the Year Despite Sluggish Month

By Emma Duncan | December 31, 2025, 4:36 PM

Stocks were unable to claw their way out of the red by today's close, with all three major indexes marking their fourth-straight losses. The tech-heavy Nasdaq slipped into the red for the month during today's trading, while the Dow marked its 8th-straight monthly win, and S&P 500 Index both suffered its first monthly loss since April alongside the Russell 2000 Index (RUT).

All three major benchmarks still notched their third-straight quarterly wins, however, securing their third consecutive year in the black. For 2025, the Dow added 13%, the Nasdaq rose 20.4%, and the S&P 500 tacked on 16.4%.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

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5 Things to Know Today

  1. A tax benefit credit for crop farmers in Brazil could be delayed by four months, per a recommendation from the country's Attorney General Jorge Messias. (Bloomberg)
  2. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been asked to testify by Congressional Republicans, regarding a social services fraud case. (CNBC)
  3. Bullish bets back popular chip maker.
  4. FDA approval sent pharma stock surging.
  5. Trendlines to watch after the S&P 500's record run.
 
There were no earnings of note today.

 

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Gold Logs Stellar 2025 Performance

Oversupply concerns climbed alongside geopolitical tensions in 2025. January-dated West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude shed 40 cents to close at $57.55 per barrel on the day. Crude fell 2.1% for December, 7% for the quarter, and 20% for the year.

Following CME Group's (CME) second margin hike on silver and gold this week, the safe havens pulled back. February-dated gold shed 1.2% to close around $4,334.70 per ounce on the day. Gold rose 2.2% for December, 11.2% for the quarter, and 64% for 2025.

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