Weekly Market Overview:
December 22-24
December 22-24
The US stock market closed higher on Monday.
The Dow Jones advanced 0.47%, the S&P 500 rose 0.64%, and the Nasdaq gained 0.52%. The US 10-year Treasury yield declined by 1.5 b.p. to 4.15%.
Gold futures jumped 1.11% to $4,519.00, while Brent crude edged down 0.06% to $62.03.
The KASE index slipped 0.02%.
Across the S&P 500 sectors, Basic Materials led the gains, while Consumer Defensive was the only sector finishing in the red.
The Dow Jones advanced 0.47%, the S&P 500 rose 0.64%, and the Nasdaq gained 0.52%. The US 10-year Treasury yield declined by 1.5 b.p. to 4.15%.
Gold futures jumped 1.11% to $4,519.00, while Brent crude edged down 0.06% to $62.03.
The KASE index slipped 0.02%.
Across the S&P 500 sectors, Basic Materials led the gains, while Consumer Defensive was the only sector finishing in the red.
- Analysts expect the US dollar to weaken further in 2026 amid a slowing US economy and easing Federal Reserve policy, although the currency could be supported in the short term by capital inflows into US stocks linked to the AI hype.
- Nvidia plans to begin shipments of 40,000–80,000 of its second-most powerful H200 AI chips to China in mid-February, marking the first deliveries since the U.S. export ban was lifted by President Donald Trump after the company agreed to pay the U.S. government 15% of its China sales revenue for an export license
- Alphabet has agreed to acquire clean energy developer Intersect Power LLC for $4.75 billion to expand its network of artificial intelligence data centers.
- Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is prepared to provide a $40.4 billion guarantee to support Paramount Skydance's bid to buy Warner Bros. for about $100 billion, intensifying the battle against Netflix, which previously won shareholder approval and raised $59 billion in funding for its bid.
Seven Rivers Technologies, in partnership with Germany's Medal Group GmbH, plans to build a KZT 60 billion glass bottle production plant in the Kyzylorda region, using up to 49% recycled glass and German technology from HORN Glass. The project, designed to produce 240,000 bottles per year, has been submitted for financing to the Development Bank of Kazakhstan and is currently under review. Another environmental project is also underway in the region: a South Korean company is building a 37.8 million tenge solid waste recycling plant.
The US stock market closed higher on Tuesday.
The Dow Jones edged up 0.16%, the S&P 500 gained 0.46%, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.57%. The US 10-year Treasury yield declined by 1.3 b.p. to 4.15%.
Gold futures rose 0.34% to $4,521.10, while Brent crude inched up 0.11% to $62.45.
The KASE index slipped 0.06%.
Across the S&P 500 sectors, Communication Services led the gains, while Consumer Defensive was among the sectors finishing in the red, with 3 of the 11 sectors closing lower.
The Dow Jones edged up 0.16%, the S&P 500 gained 0.46%, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.57%. The US 10-year Treasury yield declined by 1.3 b.p. to 4.15%.
Gold futures rose 0.34% to $4,521.10, while Brent crude inched up 0.11% to $62.45.
The KASE index slipped 0.06%.
Across the S&P 500 sectors, Communication Services led the gains, while Consumer Defensive was among the sectors finishing in the red, with 3 of the 11 sectors closing lower.
- European shares closed at a record high on Friday, driven by gains in defence and insurance stocks as investors grew optimistic amid mixed market signals.
- Policymakers at the European Central Bank cautioned that they are not yet ready to rule out future rate cuts, reflecting lingering concerns about the economy and inflation.
- Euro zone consumer confidence fell in December, slipping to -14.6, signalling persistent pessimism among households as the year ends.
- U.S. economic growth accelerated sharply in the third quarter, with GDP expanding by 4.3%—the fastest pace in two years—while corporate profits rose 4.2%, underscoring a strong economic foundation despite signs of moderating consumer spending.
- Copper prices hit a record above $12,000 per tonne as supply disruptions and U.S. tariff policy tightened global markets, outweighing weaker demand from China and reinforcing expectations of rising consumption driven by green energy and AI infrastructure.
BAE Systems sold 10.1% of Air Astana through an accelerated bookbuilding (ABB) at a discount of approximately 8.8%, choosing speed and mitigating market risk over a maximum price, allowing for a quick and secure closing. The placement of 9 million GDRs on the London Stock Exchange was priced at $5.80 per GDR, raising a total of $52.2 million. The shares were distributed among a broad range of investors without forming a controlling stake. Following the transaction, BAE Systems retained a 6.9% stake in the airline, and Air Astana's stock price partially recovered from its initial decline.
The US stock market closed higher on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones rose 0.60%, the S&P 500 gained 0.32%, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.22%. The US 10-year Treasury yield edged up by 0.10 b.p. to 4.13%.
Gold futures were little changed at $4,505.40, while Brent crude slipped 0.14% to $62.29.
The KASE index rose 0.31%.
Across the S&P 500 sectors, Real Estate led the gains, while Energy was among the sectors finishing in the red, with 2 of the 11 sectors closing lower.
The Dow Jones rose 0.60%, the S&P 500 gained 0.32%, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.22%. The US 10-year Treasury yield edged up by 0.10 b.p. to 4.13%.
Gold futures were little changed at $4,505.40, while Brent crude slipped 0.14% to $62.29.
The KASE index rose 0.31%.
Across the S&P 500 sectors, Real Estate led the gains, while Energy was among the sectors finishing in the red, with 2 of the 11 sectors closing lower.
- Apollo Global Management’s chief economist Torsten Slok warns the US faces a roughly 30% risk of near-term stagflation due to trade wars, immigration limits and resumed student loan payments, but expects growth to reaccelerate later as AI investment and strong foreign demand for US assets provide support.
- Tokyo Electric Power plans to restart the world's largest nuclear power plant nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster.
- Despite strong tech valuations, some of the Magnificent Seven companies have underperformed the broader market this year.
- US stocks extended a pre-Christmas rally as the Dow and S&P 500 moved closer to record highs, supported by improving economic conditions, easing inflation and investor optimism about further gains, particularly in technology, healthcare, utilities and financials.
- Citi expects stocks such as Cboe Global Markets, Micron Technology and First Solar to deliver strong risk-adjusted returns next year, citing high Sharpe ratios and upside potential driven by solid performance, analyst upgrades and favorable industry trends.
The state-owned ROP Zhasyl Damu will irrevocably donate hundreds of billions of tenge to the SaryarkaAvtoProm and Astana Motors Manufacturing Kazakhstan auto plants for the production of eco-friendly vehicles, funding the projects through a partial refund of recycling fees.