Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., Nov. 25, 2025.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Stock futures were little changed on Sunday night following a winning week, as traders get set to wrap up a strong 2025.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 18 points. Futures tied to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 hovered around the flatline.
Monday marks the first day of December, and investors have some momentum at their backs. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite last week ripped higher by 3.7% and 4.9%, respectively, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 3.2%.
Seasonality is also on Wall Street’s side. The S&P 500 averages an advance of more than 1% in December, making it the third-best month of the year for the benchmark in records going back to 1950, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac.
But the market turned turbulent and was anything but smooth sailing in November. The S&P 500 and Dow closed flat for the month, while the Nasdaq shed 1.5% to snap a seven-month advance. At one point in November, the Nasdaq was down nearly 8% from the October close. Concerns around artificial intelligence stock valuations put pressure on the major averages during the month.
“I am a bit more constructive on the prospects for a positive December, given the sharp rally [last] week, which has helped market breadth to begin to rebound after a difficult early part of November,” Mark Newton, technical strategist at Fundstrat, wrote last week. “The equity market seems to be growing more comfortable as the chances for a December rate cut have grown.”