Apple’s iPhone Series 16 are seen on display at the Apple Store, Regent Street on September 20, 2024 in London, England.
Peter Nicholls | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Our top 10 things to watch on Thursday, December 26
— This newsletter is written by Investing Club portfolio analyst Zev Fima.
1. Wall Street’s holiday week rally is taking a breather on Thursday. of Dow, S&P 500 and technology-heavy Nasdaq were all on pace to open the session lower after healthy gains on Monday and Tuesday. The market was closed on Wednesday for Christmas. As a reminder, trading volumes are likely to be low in the next couple of days, so be cautious and don’t follow big moves higher.
2. Initial jobless claims rose to 219,000 in the week ending Dec. 21, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s below the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 224,000. It is also down by 1,000 from the previous report. However, ongoing claims for unemployment insurance rose to 1.91 million, the highest since November 2021.
3. Oil rose slightly on Thursday. International benchmark Brent crude climbed to around $74 a barrel, while US benchmark WTI added about 0.6% to trade at around $70.50 a barrel. Hopes for additional stimulus in China are one factor driving the move. Traders are awaiting the release of the US Energy Information Administration’s weekly crude oil inventory report, which is due out at a later-than-normal Friday at 1:00 PM ET.
