Tesla and JP Morgan among market cap stock movers on Tuesday

As traders approach another pivotal day for financial markets, a series of crucial decisions and economic data releases that could sway market dynamics are expected on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, accompanied by the FOMC statement and economic projections, will take center stage. Market participants will also closely monitor the FOMC press conference for additional insights into the central bank’s monetary policy outlook. Additionally, the EIA crude oil inventories report will provide important information about energy market conditions.

Major Economic Events to Watch

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Crude Oil Inventories (Previous:0.574M): Weekly change in commercial crude oil barrels held by US firms, influencing petroleum prices and potential inflation impacts.

• 2:00 PM ET - Interest Rate Decision (Forecast:3.75%, Previous: 4.00%): Federal Reserve expected to lower rates by 25 basis points, a key factor in currency valuation.

• 2:00 PM ET - FOMC Statement: Primary communication tool for the Federal Reserve to signal monetary policy direction and economic outlook.

• 2:00 PM ET - FOMC Economic Projections: Includes inflation and economic growth forecasts plus individual FOMC members’ interest rate projections.

• 2:30 PM ET - FOMC Press Conference: Fed Chair will elaborate on the rate decision and answer questions about monetary policy direction.

Other Important Economic Events to Watch

• 8:30 AM ET - Employment Cost Index (Forecast:0.9%, Previous: 0.9%): Measures changes in the price businesses and government pay for civilian labor.

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Cushing Oil Inventories (Previous:-0.457M): Crude oil storage levels at the key delivery point for US benchmark West Texas Intermediate.

• 2:00 PM ET - Federal Budget Balance (Forecast:-194.8B, Previous: -284.0B): Difference between federal government income and expenditure.

• 2:00 PM ET - FFR Projection-Current (Previous:3.6%): Federal funds rate projection for the current year.

• 2:00 PM ET - FFR Projection-1st Yr (Previous:3.4%): Federal funds rate projection for the first year ahead.

• 2:00 PM ET - FFR Projection-2nd Yr (Previous:3.1%): Federal funds rate projection for the second year ahead.

• 2:00 PM ET - FFR Projection-3rd Yr (Previous:3.1%): Federal funds rate projection for the third year ahead.

• 2:00 PM ET - FFR Projection-Longer (Previous:3.0%): Federal funds rate projection for the longer term.

Other Economic Events to Watch

• 7:00 AM ET - MBA Mortgage Applications (Previous:-1.4%): Weekly change in mortgage applications, indicating housing market activity.

• 7:00 AM ET - MBA Purchase Index (Previous:186.1): Index of mortgage applications for home purchases.

• 7:00 AM ET - Mortgage Market Index (Previous:313.0): Covers all mortgage applications during the week.

• 7:00 AM ET - Mortgage Refinance Index (Previous:1,041.9): Gauge of mortgage refinancing activity.

• 7:00 AM ET - MBA 30-Year Mortgage Rate (Previous:6.32%): Fixed 30-year mortgage lending rates.

• 8:30 AM ET - Real Earnings (Previous:-0.1%): Measures wages corrected for inflation to show actual purchasing power changes.

• 8:30 AM ET - Employment Wages (Previous:1.00%): Component of employment cost focusing on wages.

• 8:30 AM ET - Employment Benefits (Previous:0.70%): Component of employment cost focusing on benefits.

• 10:30 AM ET - Gasoline Inventories (Previous:4.518M): Weekly change in commercial gasoline inventory levels.

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Distillates Stocks (Previous:2.059M): Inventory levels of distillate fuels.

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Crude Imports (Previous:-0.470M): Weekly change in crude oil imports.

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Heatoil Stock (Previous:-0.293M): Weekly change in heating oil inventories.

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Gasoline Production (Previous:0.197M): Weekly gasoline production figures.

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Distillate Fuel Production (Previous:0.053M): Weekly distillate fuel production.

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Refinery Crude Runs (Previous:0.433M): Amount of crude processed by refineries.

• 10:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Refinery Utilization Rates (Previous:1.8%): Percentage of refinery capacity being utilized.

• 11:00 AM ET - Thomson Reuters IPSOS PCSI (Previous:51.31): Consumer sentiment index based on economic conditions and personal financial outlook.

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.

Earnings season continues, below we highlight companies expected to report earnings the next trading day so you can prepare for the upcoming market movements. Leading the action are technology giants Oracle and Adobe, alongside semiconductor design leader Synopsys, retail pet supplier Chewy, and mountain resort operator Vail Resorts, all of which are scheduled to release their quarterly results on Wednesday.

Earnings Before the Open

• Chewy Inc (CHWY): EPS estimate $0.1252, revenue estimate $3.1B

• Astro-Med (ALOT): EPS estimate not available, revenue estimate not available

• VersaBank US (VBNK): EPS estimate $0.2691, revenue estimate $24.61M

• Uranium Energy Corp (UEC): EPS estimate -$0.009, revenue estimate $8.8M

• Photronics (PLAB): EPS estimate $0.4533, revenue estimate $205.19M

• J Jill Inc (JILL): EPS estimate $0.592, revenue estimate $148.37M

• Rev Group Inc (REVG): EPS estimate $0.7625, revenue estimate $645.35M

• Daktronics (DAKT): EPS estimate $0.285, revenue estimate $217.43M

Earnings After the Close

• Oracle Corp (ORCL): EPS estimate $1.64, revenue estimate $16.19B

• Adobe Sys Inc (ADBE): EPS estimate $5.4, revenue estimate $6.11B

• Synopsys Inc (SNPS): EPS estimate $2.78, revenue estimate $2.25B

• Planet Labs PBC (PL): EPS estimate -$0.0324, revenue estimate $72.18M

• Vail Resorts Inc (MTN): EPS estimate -$5.23, revenue estimate $273.35M

• Nordson Corp (NDSN): EPS estimate $2.93, revenue estimate $761.06M

• Exzeo (XZO): EPS estimate not available, revenue estimate not available

• DLH Holdings Corp (DLHC): EPS estimate $0.03, revenue estimate $84M

• Amtech Systems (ASYS): EPS estimate -$0.055, revenue estimate $18.25M

• Culp Inc (CULP): EPS estimate -$0.09, revenue estimate $54.32M

• Oxford Industries Inc (OXM): EPS estimate -$0.9616, revenue estimate $304.43M

Be sure to check back daily for updates and insights into the earnings season and real-time results at Investing.com’s Earnings Calendar and Investing.com’s Headlines. Do you want to trade the earnings of the biggest companies like a pro? Then get InvestingPro now and access over 1000 metrics that will give you a significant advantage in the shark tank that is Wall Street. Click here.

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

Investing.com -- The high-stakes acquisition of STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA) reached a critical juncture today as Alcon AG (NYSE:ALC) announced an amended merger agreement, raising its all-cash offer to $30.75 per share, up from the original $28. The approximately $1.6 billion deal, an attempt to secure shareholder support ahead of the December 19 vote, immediately sent STAAR shares soaring over 15% in morning trading. That number ticked down by 5% once activist shareholder Broadwood Partners reiterated its opposition despite the raised bid.

The price increase, which also includes a reported reduction in controversial executive payouts, is Alcon’s response to an unprecedented institutional revolt that saw the original offer voted against by what Investing.com previously reported to be 72% of shareholders ahead of a shareholder meeting that has now been postponed thrice. Proxy advisors ISS, Glass Lewis, and Egan-Jones had all previously recommended shareholders vote against the deal as well, with Egan-Jones reaffirming its recommendation as late as Monday, though it remains to be seen if their recommendations will be changed amid the heightened premium.

STAAR: Process is Validated

For the STAAR board, the amended offer is a final vindication of their strategy, which they insist always sought to maximize shareholder value amid operational headwinds in China. The board, now unanimously, is recommending the $30.75 deal.

STAAR and Alcon are leaning heavily on the fact that a recently expired, unencumbered 30-day "go-shop" period yielded no competing proposals, despite outreach to 21 different third parties, 2 of which signed NDA’s to receive diligence from STAAR and engage in discussions with management. 

"The results of this go-shop confirm that the process that the Board pursued before approving the merger agreement... produced the best buyer for STAAR," CEO Stephen Farrell stated on Monday, arguing that the market had ample opportunity to present a superior bid but failed to do so. The $30.75 price represents a 66% premium to STAAR’s closing price just before the original deal was announced.

Alcon CEO David Endicott framed the new price as a non-negotiable end to the uncertainty: "This best and final offer to the STAAR stockholders offers a clear choice: a substantial and certain premium versus an uncertain future tied to a dissident activist with a dubious track record." Alcon’s $2.75 increase is a clear concession aimed at appeasing the institutional revolt and securing a final, affirmative vote, following a month of direct outreach to shareholders and proxy advisors in order to understand opposing perspectives.

Broadwood: Price Bump Proves the Flaw

Just hours after the increase was announced, Broadwood Partners, a 30.2% stakeholder which has been invested in STAAR for three decades, rejected the raised bid. Broadwood dismissed the $2.75 concession as final proof that the board’s initial sale process was fundamentally broken.

Broadwood, which has run a campaign against the deal for months on grounds of valuation, timing, and process, and is actively working to remove three key directors, argued that the price increase only occurred because shareholders, not the board, stepped in and demanded more.

"The Board also spent months claiming that Alcon’s offer of $28 per share was the result of vigorous negotiations... And yet, Alcon has now offered an additional $150 million – but only after shareholders stepped in," the firm stated.

Broadwood contends the new price is still inadequate, reiterating that Alcon offered more than twice as much per share only 14 months ago. Additionally, the firm highlighted that the board was forced to admit its mistake on executive compensation, which Broadwood had long warned was "one of the worst say-on-golden-parachute-pay votes ever." They argue that the board’s initial failures, such as shunning interest from interested buyers and the highly restrictive nature of the go-shop, which it has called "performative," prevented any genuine competition that could have forced Alcon to pay its true maximum.

Broadwood laid the failure of the "performative go-shop" squarely on the board’s execution, citing procedural roadblocks designed to deter competition:

• Interested parties were asked to sign off-market, multi-year standstills, unlike Alcon.

• Bidders were required to subject their proposed terms to Alcon’s inspection and unilateral matching rights.

• The board refused to augment its own composition to enhance its credibility with stockholders.

"This transaction has been plagued by process issues and conflicts from the very beginning," Broadwood stated, urging shareholders to vote against the $30.75 deal to protect the company’s "bright future," asserting that if STAAR achieves management’s own projections, the company is worth "substantially more" as an independent entity.

Analysts Say Deal Looks Likely

Despite Broadwood’s sustained opposition, the new price appears to have swayed key institutional perspectives. Analysts who had been skeptical of the original $28 offer now see a high probability of the merger closing.

BTIG analysts believe the raised bid addresses the primary sticking points for institutional investors and proxy advisors: "In speaking with ALC today, it’s clear that they wanted to address two things that stuck out to both investors and the proxy advisors; valuation for STAA and executive compensation." They warn that STAAR shares "are likely to meaningfully suffer" if the deal is not consummated.

Canaccord Genuity analyst John Young also raised its price target on STAAR to $30.75, suggesting the 10% increase and changes to compensation "could satisfy proxy advisory firms to change their recommendation to ’FOR’ prior to the December 19th shareholder meeting."

The consensus is that Alcon’s move to sweeten its "best and final" offer, effectively resetting the valuation floor, will be enough to turn the tide.

A Contentious Timeline Approaches Its Climax

The battle over STAAR has been one of the year’s most dramatic takeover sagas, with intense friction between the board and its largest shareholder.

As for now, the 72% oppositional gap could be narrowing as arbitrage traders jump in and investors reconsider a sweetened offer.

The December 19 vote now looms, and is set to decide whether $30.75 represents a fair exit premium, or a last-minute concession that papered over what Broadwood says was a fatally compromised sale process.

Investing.com -- Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said on Tuesday he is discussing his eventual departure from the company with the board of directors.

"I’ve been doing this for eight years, and as soon as we’ve got the next person ready to go, my job is to get out of the way," Wirth stated during an interview at a Wall Street Journal conference.

Wirth did not provide specific timing for his departure from the oil giant.

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