Salesforce and Micron Tech among market cap stock movers on Friday

As traders approach another pivotal day for financial markets, a series of economic data releases that could sway market dynamics are expected on Monday, December 8, 2025. The economic calendar features factory orders data that will provide insights into manufacturing sector health, along with several Treasury auctions that will gauge investor sentiment toward government debt. These releases come as market participants continue to assess the overall economic outlook.

Major Economic Events to Watch

No 3-star events scheduled for Monday, December 8, 2025

Other Important Economic Events to Watch

Factory Orders (10:00 AM ET): Previous reading was 1.4%. This report measures the change in total value of new purchase orders placed with manufacturers, providing insight into manufacturing sector activity and future production plans.

3-Year Note Auction (1:00 PM ET): Previous yield was 3.579%. This Treasury auction will indicate investor demand for medium-term government debt and could influence broader bond market sentiment.

Other Economic Events to Watch

Durables Excluding Transport (10:00 AM ET): Previous reading was 0.6%. This data excludes volatile transportation orders to provide a clearer picture of underlying durable goods demand.

Factory Orders Ex Transportation (10:00 AM ET): Previous reading was 0.1%. Similar to the headline factory orders but excludes transportation sector orders to reveal core manufacturing trends.

Durables Excluding Defense (10:00 AM ET): Forecast 0.1%, previous reading was 0.1%. This metric shows durable goods orders excluding defense-related purchases.

Dallas Fed PCE (10:00 AM ET): Previous reading was 2.80%. This inflation measure trims extreme price movements to provide a clearer view of underlying inflation trends.

NY Fed 1-Year Consumer Inflation Expectations (11:00 AM ET): Previous reading was 3.2%. This survey reveals what consumers expect for inflation over the next year, an important indicator for monetary policy.

3-Month Bill Auction (11:30 AM ET): Previous yield was 3.725%. This short-term Treasury auction reflects investor sentiment toward near-term government debt.

6-Month Bill Auction (11:30 AM ET): Previous yield was 3.635%. This auction provides insights into slightly longer-term investor expectations for government securities.

For further information and the latest updates, please refer to our Economic Calendar, here.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

The upcoming IPO of Lumexa Imaging Holdings (LMRI) is ’well oversubscribed,’ according to a report by Bloomberg on Friday.

Activate Energy Acquisition Corp. (AEAQU) closed its initial public offering of 23 million units at $10.00 per unit, raising $230 million in gross proceeds before underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses, according to a company statement.

The offering included 3 million units issued through the full exercise of underwriters’ over-allotment option. The units began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "AEAQU" on December 4, 2025.

Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant allows the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. When the securities begin separate trading, the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are expected to list on Nasdaq under the symbols "AEAQ" and "AEAQW," respectively.

The Cayman Islands-incorporated blank check company plans to use the net proceeds from the offering and simultaneous private placements to complete its initial business combination. The company intends to focus on industries that complement its management team’s background, particularly the oil and gas sector.

BTIG, LLC served as the sole book-running manager for the offering. The registration statement became effective with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 1, 2025.

Activate Energy Sponsors, LLC serves as the company sponsor for the special purpose acquisition company.

Activate Energy Acquisition Corp. (AEAQU) completed its initial public offering of 23 million units at $10 per unit, raising $230 million in gross proceeds before deducting underwriting discounts and expenses, according to a company statement.

The offering included 3 million additional units from the full exercise of underwriters’ over-allotment option. Units began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on December 4, 2025.

Each unit contains one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Whole warrants allow holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at $11.50 per share. The company expects Class A ordinary shares and warrants to trade separately on Nasdaq under symbols "AEAQ" and "AEAQW" respectively.

BTIG, LLC served as sole book-running manager for the offering. The Securities and Exchange Commission registration statement became effective December 1, 2025.

Activate Energy plans to use net proceeds from the offering and simultaneous private placements to complete its initial business combination. The Cayman Islands-incorporated blank check company intends to focus on acquisition opportunities in the oil and gas industry, leveraging management’s background in that sector.

The company will seek merger, share exchange, asset acquisition or similar business combinations with one or more entities. Activate Energy Sponsors, LLC serves as the company sponsor.

Investing.com-- The S&P 500 rose after a relatively benign inflation report kept open the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week.

At 1:10 p.m. ET (18:10 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 190 points, or 0.4%, the S&P 500 index gained 0.3%, and the NASDAQ Composite rose 0.3%.

PCE inflation gauge in spotlight

The Fed’s preferred inflation measure, the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE), indicated that inflation remained under control, suggesting that the U.S. central bank can cut interest rates next week to support the slowing economy.

Excluding food and energy, the underlying, or "core," PCE price index fell to 2.8% in the 12 months to September, below the expected 2.9%, and 0.2% month-on-month.

The importance of price stability, the second element of the Fed’s dual mandate, has faded a little of late, but the Fed policymakers will be pleased to see the index falling, further emboldening rate-cut expectations.

Expectations of a 25-basis point reduction at the Federal Reserve’s December 9–10 meeting have been running hot on the back of recent weak labor data and broader signs of economic cooling.

Thursday’s weekly jobless claims plunged by 27,000 to a seasonally adjusted 191,000, the lowest level since September 2022, but economists cautioned that distortions tied to the Thanksgiving holiday may have exaggerated the decline.

Elsewhere, a private-sector payroll report from ADP on Wednesday showed a decline of 32,000 jobs -- the largest drop in over two and a half years, and a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas stated that announced job cuts dropped sharply in November but hiring intentions remained weak.

Netflix agrees to buy Warner Bros Discovery

In the corporate sector, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) has agreed to acquire Warner Bros Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) in a cash and stock transaction valued at $27.75 per share, with a total enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion.

The deal, announced on Friday, follows a weeks-long bidding war where Netflix outbid Paramount Skydance’s (NASDAQ:{{8171’s|PSKY}}) nearly $24-a-share offer with its nearly $28-a-share proposal.

Should the transaction be finalized, it would transform Netflix into a media powerhouse with control over one of the most valuable content libraries in the entertainment industry.

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Elsewhere, Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) shares soared after the cosmetics retailer topped Wall Street estimates for its fiscal third quarter and raised its full-year outlook.

Victoria’s Secret (NYSE:VSCO) stock rose strongly after the lingerie retailer reported better-than-expected third quarter results, raising its full-year outlook as its turnaround strategy shows signs of success.

On the flip side, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE) stock slumped after the cloud services and hardware company missed analysts’ revenue expectations for the fourth quarter, posting $9.68 billion versus a consensus estimate of $9.94 billion.

Peter Nurse, Ayushman Ojha contributed to this article