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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's press conference following this week's meeting will be closely watched.

Key Takeaways

• Federal Reserve officials remain divided, but many central bank watchers expect a rate cut at the meeting that started Tuesday.
• The dot plot and policy statement released Wednesday may reveal slower, more uncertain rate cuts ahead.

The Federal Reserve seems likely to cut interest rates again this week, but it probably won’t do so as a united front.

Fed officials are split on whether the economy needs lower interest rates, a debate that will be on display when the Federal Open Market Committee’s decision comes out at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday. 

The more dovish FOMC officials are likely to prevail. The Fed is widely expected to cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, amid signs that the job market is softening.

Analysts don’t expect it to be a complete defeat for the FOMC’s hawks, a couple of whom are likely to vote against a rate cut.

Why This Matters

A split Fed raises uncertainty for borrowers and investors, as divisions could influence the pace and direction of rate cuts into 2026. Rate cuts can influence borrowing costs and economic momentum.

In laying out the path for 2026, economists say Fed Chair Jerome Powell could tamp down expectations that the central bank is gearing up for continued easing. It may be, as analysts call it, a hawkish cut. 

“Chair Powell is facing the most divided committee in recent memory,” Bank of America economist Aditya Bhave wrote in a research note. “Therefore, we think he will attempt to balance the expected rate cut with a hawkish stance at the press conference.”

Powell is scheduled to address reporters at 2:30 p.m. ET, where he will present the reasoning behind Wednesday’s decision and take questions on the path ahead.

He won’t have to do all the talking. Fed officials will also release their individual projections for 2026, which will lay out whether they’re leaning toward lowering rates again—and if so, how many times. 

Fed officials have been split recently. Some see a bigger risk of unemployment rising and argue lower rates would give the economy a needed boost. Others see more strength in the economy as consumers continue to spend, and they argue that making borrowing cheaper could stoke inflation. 

“The meeting looks set to be highly contentious,” Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, wrote in a note to clients.

A Few Dissents Possible

The disagreements may show up in Wednesday’s vote count, with analysts expecting dissents in both directions.

Fed Governor Stephen Miran voted for a larger 50 basis point cut at October’s meeting—and is expected to do so again. Miran, who is President Donald Trump’s latest Fed appointee, says rates are overly high and tamping down growth.

At least a couple of more FOMC officials may also vote against Wednesday’s action, though from the opposite direction. Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid dissented in October and favored keeping rates unchanged. A few other Fed officials seem to be leaning in that direction, but it’s unclear how many would vote against a rate cut.

Barclays Economist Marc Giannoni expects at least three dissents, which would be the most since September 2019. If a fourth FOMC official votes against the decision, it would be the largest dissent tally since October 1992, Giannoni wrote.

It’s also possible that the Fed, which tends to operate on consensus, ends up in closer alignment with the FOMC’s public vote even if the debate is heavy inside the room.

“The committee will try to present a united front amid the disagreements,” Oxford Economics’ Pearce wrote.

Parsing the Statement

It may help that the FOMC’s statement may end up tilting a little hawkish, potentially signaling a slower pace of rate cuts in 2026 and thus giving the hawks a victory.

“To help appease voters who are reluctant to cut again at this particular meeting, we expect the statement to signal a higher bar of additional rate cuts,” Wells Fargo Economist Sarah House wrote in a research note.

The change may seem small and cosmetic, but it could help Powell corral more votes and give investors a clearer sense of what’s ahead in 2026.

Right now, the FOMC statement indicates officials are debating “additional adjustments” to the federal funds rate—signaling a clear preference toward cutting.

To tamp down that language, analysts say the Fed may insert a line it has used in the past, saying it’s considering “the extent and timing” of additional adjustments. Translation: More cuts are likely to come, but the number and timing are unclear. 

Reading the Dots

Fed officials will also make their leanings clear through their forecasts, where their individual views on where rates should be by year-end are represented as anonymous dots. 

Their most recent projections, released in September, showed the median Fed official was penciling in one more cut in 2026 and another in 2027.

Barclays’ Giannoni doesn’t expect a major change in the dot plot, which he wrote will “again reveal considerable disagreement” at the FOMC on whether lower rates are necessary. 

BofA’s Bhave expects the 2027 cut to get pulled forward to next year, with a median dot suggesting two cuts in 2026 and “an extended hold at 3.0-3.25% thereafter.” 

He also, however, cautioned against the risk of overinterpreting any hawkish messaging from Powell, no matter what the dots show. The Fed chair, he noted, seemed to tamp down rate-cut expectations in July and October—only for the FOMC to settle on lowering rates anyway.

“Investors might be wary of getting head-faked for a third time, especially because we will be getting so much data before the January meeting,” he wrote.

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Borrowers will have to review repayment options as the Linda McMahon's Department of Education moves to end the SAVE plan.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Department of Education announced an agreement with the states suing for the elimination of the Saving for a Valuable Education repayment plan.
• More than 7.7 million borrowers still in forbearance under the SAVE plan will soon need to transition to another repayment plan, and the Income-Based Repayment plan may be the most certain option for them.

The Department of Education announced early Tuesday that it has moved one step closer to shutting down the Saving for a Valuable Education repayment plan.

On Tuesday morning, the Department of Education announced a joint agreement with the State of Missouri and several other states that had filed a lawsuit to block the SAVE plan last year. Pending court approval, the agreement will end the SAVE plan.

The SAVE plan, an income-driven repayment plan created by former President Joe Biden's administration, has been embroiled in several lawsuits for more than a year. Since July 2024, the plan's millions of borrowers have been in an administrative forbearance, where payments are not due, but they are unable to make progress toward forgiveness.

Why This Matters

For the millions of borrowers in SAVE who have been in limbo for over a year, they will likely soon see the end of their repayment plan, which provided $0 monthly payments to a large number of borrowers. These borrowers will need to transition to a different repayment plan which likely has less favorable terms.

What Does This Mean For Borrowers?

The Department of Education announced that it will no longer allow borrowers to move to the SAVE plan and will deny any pending transfer applications. It also said it will transition the more than 7.7 million borrowers still in the SAVE plan to one of the existing repayment plans.

"The Department, through its Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), will provide support to borrowers currently enrolled in the illegal SAVE Plan in selecting a new, legal repayment plan," the Department said in a press release. "The Department will begin direct outreach to impacted borrowers to provide guidance about how to repay their student loans in the coming weeks."

Borrowers can get a head start and begin applying to transfer to a standard repayment plan or any three of the remaining income-driven repayment plans: the Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, or Pay as You Earn. The Federal Student Aid's Loan Simulator tool provides borrowers with an estimate of monthly payments, allowing them to compare repayment plans.

The Department of Education has encouraged all SAVE borrowers to transition into the IBR plan earlier this year. The IBR plan will also soon allow more types of borrowers in, including those with a consolidated Parent PLUS loan and those who do not meet the partial financial hardship requirement.

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has lobbied the Trump administration for greater access to China's market, arguing sales restrictions could hurt America's AI competitiveness

Key Takeaways

• President Trump said Nvidia will be allowed to sell its H200 AI chips in China, with a 25% cut of sales going to the U.S. government.
• The move comes just months after a less advanced chip was approved in a 15% revenue-sharing deal.

Nvidia could be set to sell more of its advanced chips to China, with some conditions.

President Trump posted on Truth Social Monday that Nvidia (NVDA) will be allowed to sell its H200 AI chips to "approved customers" in China, in exchange for a 25% cut of revenues going to the U.S. government.

"The Department of Commerce is finalizing the details, and the same approach will apply to AMD, Intel, and other GREAT American Companies," Trump said in his post.

The H200, which is a generation behind Nvidia's Blackwell line, had been banned for sale to China previously on national security concerns, and its approval comes just months after Nvidia's less advanced H20 was greenlighted by President Trump in exchange for a 15% revenue-sharing deal.

Why This Is Significant

Nvidia's most advanced chips remain prohibited from being sold to China amid worries allowing them could hurt America’s position in the AI race. However, CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly advocated for greater access, suggesting the restrictions may hurt America’s competitiveness by driving Chinese firms to develop stronger products.

The move is expected open the door for more approvals for Nvidia and other chipmakers like rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), though Chinese limitations on purchases based on security concerns could still hold back sales.

William Blair analysts told clients Monday it "remains unclear" if any sales will be made, given China's government may discourage firms from buying H200 chips, as it has with the H20.

Nvidia shares were little changed in recent trading. They've gained close to 40% since the start of the year.

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Economy watchers are still waiting on data that could show how people and businesses are spending and working.

Key Takeaways

• The federal government shutdown froze economic data releases, and agencies are still working to catch up. 
• While a handful of reports have been rescheduled, some have also been consolidated or canceled. Other new release dates are still expected for several key reports for September, October and November.

The government shutdown ended three weeks ago and statistical agencies are working to catch up on economic releases they missed.

After being closed for 43 days, the federal bureaus that track inflation, employment, and economic growth are behind schedule on several reports, but they are beginning to catch up.

This week, we’ll see inflation data for September, which was initially scheduled to be published in October. And there are several other unreleased reports that agencies like the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of Labor Statistics still need to issue, cancel or combine. 

Why This Matters

Delayed economic reports can blur the outlook for inflation, jobs, and growth, complicating decisions for investors, businesses, and policymakers. Understanding the new schedule helps readers interpret upcoming market-moving data.

Here are some of the new release dates and schedule changes announced so far:

• Dec. 10: Q3 employment cost index (Originally scheduled for Oct. 31 )
• Dec. 11: September U.S. trade deficit (Originally scheduled for Nov. 4 release)
• Dec. 11: September wholesale inventories (Originally scheduled for November release)
• Dec. 16: November U.S. employment report, including October payrolls (Originally scheduled for Nov. 7 and Dec. 5; the household survey for October is cancelled)
• Dec. 16: October retail sales (Originally scheduled for November release)
• Dec. 16: September business inventories (Originally scheduled for November release)
• Dec. 18: November Consumer Price Index (CPI), including a subset of the October report (Originally scheduled for Nov. 13 and Dec. 10 releases )
• Dec. 23: Q3 Gross Domestic Product, initial estimate (The advance GDP estimate scheduled for Oct. 30 was cancelled. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will postpone a subsequent third quarter GDP estimate originally scheduled for Dec. 19.)
• Dec. 23: October and November industrial production and capacity utilization (Originally scheduled for Nov. 18 and Dec. 16 releases)
• Dec. 23: October durable-goods orders (Originally scheduled for November release)
• Jan. 14: November Producer Price Index (PPI), with a subset of the October report (Originally scheduled for Dec. 11 release; a separate October report won't be released)
• Jan. 15: November U.S. import and export price indexes, with a subset of the October report (Originally scheduled for Dec. 16 release; a separate October report won't be released)
• Feb. 10: Q4 Employment cost index (Originally scheduled for Jan. 30 release)

Here are some reports that still need to be rescheduled or have been cancelled:

• September housing starts (Originally scheduled for Oct. 17 release; October and November reports are also not yet rescheduled)
• September new home sales (Originally scheduled for Oct. 24 release; October and November reports are also not yet rescheduled)
• September, October and November advanced reports on trade deficit, wholesale inventories and retail inventories have been canceled
• October U.S. trade deficit (Originally scheduled for a December release; the November report is also not yet rescheduled)
• October business inventories (Originally scheduled for a December release; the October report is also not yet rescheduled)
• November retail sales (Originally scheduled for December release)
• November durable-goods orders (Originally scheduled for December release)
• October PCE price index, personal incomes and outlays (Originally scheduled for Nov. 26; the November report is also not yet rescheduled)

News of the day for Dec. 9, 2025

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President Trump said Monday evening that Nvidia will be allowed to sell its H200 chips to companies in China following months of debate over national security concerns

Stock futures are holding steady as investors await the Federal Reserve's final decision of the year on interest rates; the Fed kicks off its two-day policy meeting today, weighing signs that the labor market is weakening against lingering concerns about inflation; Nvidia will be allowed to sell its H200 chips to companies in China, with 25% of revenue going to the U.S. government; the European Union is investigating Google's use of online data to train its AI models; and Home Depot shares are falling as the company issued an outlook for 2026 that came in below analysts' expectations. Here's what you need to know today.

Stocks Little Changed as Investors Await Fed Decision on Rates

Stock futures are hovering near unchanged this morning ahead of the Federal Reserve's highly anticipated decision on interest rates, which is due Wednesday afternoon. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the benchmark S&P 500 were up less than 0.1% recently, while those linked to the the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell fractionally. The major indexes each declined Monday after ending last week near record highs. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which affects borrowing costs on a wide array of consumer loans, was unchanged from yesterday's close at 4.17%, near its highest level in more than two months. Bitcoin was trading at $90,600, up from an overnight low of $89,500. Gold futures were up 0.3% at $4,230 an ounce, while WTI crude oil futures rose 0.2% to around $59 per barrel.

Fed Set to Kick Off Final Rate Policy Meeting of 2025

The Federal Reserve's policy committee is scheduled to convene its two-day meeting today, with a decision on interest rates coming at the end of the gathering. The Fed is widely expected to lower its benchmark fed funds rate for the third consecutive meeting. In addition to awaiting the decision, market participants are eager to see the quarterly projections from committee members on key economic indicators and rates, and to hear from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The Fed, which is trying to balance fears about a weakening labor market against concerns that inflation remains too high, will get an important piece of data on Tuesday with the release of the Job Openings & Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for October.

Nvidia Gets Green Light to Sell Certain Chips to China

Nvidia (NVDA) got some good news Monday afternoon, when President Donald Trump said that his administration will allow Nvidia to sell its older generation of artificial intelligence GPUs, the H200, to "approved customers" in China, with a 25% cut going to the U.S. government. The Trump and Biden administrations each had concerns about Nvidia and other chipmakers selling their most advanced products to companies in China, amid worries that there could be national security risks in letting China develop its own AI models with the technology. Earlier this year, Nvidia agreed to give the government 15% of sales of its lower-powered H20 chip in China, but the plans fell apart when the Chinese government told companies not to buy them because of its own security concerns with bringing in American products with government involvement. Nvidia shares were up about 1% in recent premarket trading.

EU to Probe Google's AI Training, Overview Practices

Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google is the subject of a new probe from the European Commission, as the enforcement arm of the European Union will investigate whether Google acted anticompetitively by using online content and YouTube videos to train its AI models. The Commission is "concerned" that Google is using content from online publishers to create the "AI Overviews" at the top of search results pages without proper compensation and offering unfair terms when it does compensate, and that it is giving its own AI models "privileged access" to online content, putting other companies looking to train AI models at a disadvantage. The investigation is the latest in the region's antitrust push against big tech companies. The EU last week announced a probe into whether Meta Platforms (META) is violating antitrust law with policies prohibiting other AI companies from interacting with users in WhatsApp, potentially giving an advantage to its own chatbot Meta AI.

Home Depot Stock Falls as 2026 Outlook Disappoints

Home Depot (HD) shares are moving lower Tuesday morning after the home improvement retail giant provided a lackluster outlook for next year ahead of its annual investor day. Expecting the broader home improvement market to either decline by up to 1% or grow by up to 1% next year, Home Depot said it expects its own total sales to grow by 2.5% to 4.5%. That compares with the consensus analyst forecast of 4.3%, according to Visible Alpha. Home Depot's adjusted earnings per share and comparable sales growth forecasts also came in short of what analysts expected. The retailer said it expects sales and profits to grow once the housing market picks up and "pent-up demand" for home improvement projects can be realized, and said it expects to continue growing faster than the larger home improvement market and its competitors. Home Depot shares were down nearly 3% before the opening bell.

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Oracle shares have pulled back recently amid worries about an AI bubble.

Key Takeaways

• Oracle is scheduled to report earnings after the closing bell Wednesday, with analysts anticipating growing revenue and profits.
• Options pricing suggests traders expect Oracle's stock could move nearly 10% in either direction after its results.

Oracle (ORCL) is set to report its latest quarterly results after the market closes on Wednesday, with traders expecting a big move in the tech giant's stock following the report.

Options pricing suggests traders anticipate the stock could swing nearly 10% in either direction by the end of the week. A move of that size from Monday's close could bring the stock to a new record above $240 at the high end, or drag it down to $199 at the low end, where it was late last month.

Oracle's stock hit a record high following the database giant's last quarterly report in September, impressing investors with a record backlog on booming AI demand. The stock has pulled back in recent months, however, amid worries about an AI bubble, with Oracle's moves to take on new debt and its reliance on a few big customers adding to concerns.

Why This Matters to Investors

Oracle could face a challenging setup heading into this week's earnings report, amid some skepticism around the sustainability of its outlook and customer concentration risks.

Bullish analysts at Citi suggested ahead of Wednesday's report that they view worries about Oracle's debt health and recent sell-off as overdone, though they'll be watching closely for more clarity from Oracle on its plans, along with evidence that AI-driven demand for its offerings is broad-based.

Oracle is seen reporting adjusted earnings per share of $1.65 on a 15% year-over-year jump in revenue to $16.18 billion for the fiscal second quarter, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha.

Among the 12 analysts with current ratings tracked by Visible Alpha, eight consider Oracle's stock a "buy," compared to three neutral ratings, and one call to sell. Their mean target around $317 would suggest over 40% upside. The stock has added about a third of its value in 2025 through Monday's close.

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Betting on the Mag 7 has worked too well, one investing expert said Monday.

Key Takeaways

• What's changed with regards to the world's biggest tech companies is the competition, according to Wall Street expert Ed Yardeni, who got less bullish on Big Tech today.
• BofA thinks an eventual bubble in AI is likely, but also believes core U.S. tech names are not yet frothy.

Why ask for the moon, when there are plenty of stars to go around? That's the latest take from a Wall Street expert regarding the S&P 500.

Dr. Ed Yardeni, founder of Yardeni Research, said on Monday that his firm was ending its 15-year recommendation that investors be overweight the S&P 500's tech and communications sectors—effectively meaning they should prefer them to the rest of the stocks in the index. The prominent Wall Street economist and market strategist joins other investment professionals who have recently turned sour on the tech behemoths that have have dominated the benchmark index.

What's changed about the Magnificent 7—Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Meta Platforms (META), and Tesla (TSLA)—is that they've started to more "aggressively" compete with each other, and have rivals coming out of the woodwork regularly, Yardeni told media networks, including Bloomberg TV and CNBC.

WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU

Investors have put their dollars in the world's biggest tech companies, betting that their scale will allow them to have an edge in artificial intelligence—some Wall Street experts are backing away from that premise as new challengers emerge.

The problem is that betting on the Mag 7 has worked too well, with the tech and comms sectors now accounting for a record 45% of the benchmark index's market capitalization, Yardeni said. While that may be justified by their earnings share also climbing, their overall riskiness compared to the rest of the index has also risen.

"They used to just operate in their own moats and kind of leave each other alone, but I think we're now having a competitive situation," Yardeni said on CNBC. "Not only that but I think we're going to find out startups are coming [to] challenge some of their technologies."

Yardeni referenced China's startup DeepSeek, which rattled chipmakers and markets in January when it rolled out a model said to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT at a fraction of the cost. DeepSeek's latest models are "just as good as" Google's Gemini 3, he said. He now recommends market-weighting tech and comms, effectively a neutral position, and overweighting the financials, industrials, and health care sectors.

Some other markets watchers are also sounding messages of conservatism—even if they don't think the AI trade is done yet. While Bank of America analysts think it "likely" that the AI investment cycle ends with "a few winners and many losers," they also expect those to be identified much later, or as early as 2027. At present, they say, there are signs of "froth around the edges, but not yet in the core of U.S. tech."

BofA's chief investment strategist Michael Hartnett continues to recommend going "BIG"—that is, showing a preference for bonds, international stocks, and gold. He also likes mid-cap stocks, but is short investment-grade bonds and the U.S. dollar into the next year.

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NextEra Energy shares have climbed about 12% in 2025 so far

Key Takeaways

• NextEra Energy said Monday that it struck deals with Alphabet's Google and Meta Platforms to support AI data centers.
• The energy provider also raised the lower end of its full-year profit forecast, and boosted its outlook for 2026.

NextEra Energy is raking in new deals to power AI data centers.

America's largest energy infrastructure developer on Monday said it struck agreements with Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google and Meta Platforms (META) to meet growing demand for energy to support AI data centers.

NextEra (NEE) said it plans to work with Google to build out energy infrastructure for data center campuses across the United States. As part of the deal, NextEra will also use Google Cloud AI to support its own "digital transformation" and deployment of AI.

Separately, NextEra said Meta signed contracts for clean energy projects meant to help the tech giant meet its clean energy goals, as well as build out data center capacity.

Why This Is Significant

The AI boom has lifted stocks across a wide range of industries this year, including energy as the technology is widely expected to raise demand for electricity. With its recent data center deals, NextEra is positioning itself as a beneficiary.

Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed, though the energy provider also raised the lower end of its full-year profit forecast, and boosted its outlook for 2026, according to a regulatory filing Monday.

NextEra said it now expects adjusted earnings per share of $3.62 to $3.70 for 2025, compared to $3.45 to $3.70 previously, and 2026 EPS of $3.92 to $4.02, up from an earlier forecast of $3.63 to $4.

Shares of NextEra slipped 3% Monday amid broader market losses, while Alphabet slid 2% and Meta lost 1%. Still, NextEra shares have added about 12% and Meta has climbed roughly 14% in 2025 so far. Alphabet shares are up close to 70% year-to-date.

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Speculation is swirling about when Tim Cook may retire as CEO of Apple.

Key Takeaways

• Investors and analysts are speculating about when Tim Cook may step aside as CEO of Apple, with the Financial Times suggesting it could come in 2026.
• Cook has overseen a period of tremendous growth for Apple, but some investors have recently worried the company has fallen behind on AI.

Tim Cook ushered Apple into the age of smartwatches and wireless headphones. Will he be around for its AI era?

Cook, 65, may retire from the CEO post as soon as next year, the Financial Times has reported, stepping back as the company tries to find its place in the age of AI—and after he oversaw Apple’s (AAPL) foray into Apple Watches and AirPods. That could explain why a number of executives are leaving the company now, a possible attempt to get ahead of a leadership shakeup.

“Tim Cook’s era of unmatched scaling at Apple presents big shoes to fill,” J.P.Morgan said in a research note last month. “His tenure since [2011] features exceptional feats.”

Apple didn’t respond to questions from Investopedia about Cook’s plans. Bloomberg News reported that Cook is unlikely to leave the CEO post in 2026—a view shared by some analysts. Cook "will remain CEO of Apple through at least the end of 2027 to see Apple through this key AI technology transition in Cupertino,” Wedbush wrote in a research note Sunday.

Why This News Matters to Investors

A leadership shakeup could have implications for Apple's plan to roll out AI-powered tools, such as a new version of Siri in 2026. That said, Apple is hardly the only tech company still working on monetizing AI.

Still, succession was on investors’ minds before the Financial Times report—and before executives such as John Giannandrea, senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, and Alan Dye, vice president of human interface design, announced their exits, J.P.Morgan said.

The bank's analysts last month said senior Apple executive John Ternus, who has been at the company since 2001, was a possible Cook replacement.

Cook, who replaced Steve Jobs in August 2011, has delivered big for Apple shareholders. Share prices increased 20-fold during Cook’s 14-year tenure, while the S&P 500 index rose about sixfold during that period. The company's market capitalization went from less than $400 billion to $4 trillion, J.P.Morgan estimated, as Cook helped the company achieve “operational excellence” by building supply chains in Asia and steering Apple through the Trump administration’s tariffs.

He has overseen the introduction and monetization of near-ubiquitous products like Apple Watch and AirPods and helped Apple develop a reputation for innovation in health through devices and tracking. "If you zoom out way into the future, and you look back and ask what Apple’s biggest contribution was, it will be in the health area,” Cook said in a recent interview with Wired.

The so-called "wearables" business is strong, and iPhone sales are booming, but some investors have worried that Apple is falling behind on AI. The company delayed the rollout of an AI-powered version of Siri, making its suite of AI tools, called Apple Intelligence, less compelling. Recent hires, Wedbush said, have some hoping that 2026 "is going to finally be the year that Apple actually enters the AI Revolution."

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With Monday's gains, Kymera Therapeutics shares have more than doubled in value in 2025

Key Takeaways

• Kymera Therapeutics reported positive results from a trial of its experimental anti-inflammatory drug, sending shares higher Monday.
• The company said the results exceeded expectations for patients with eczema and asthma.

Kymera Therapeutics (KYMR) shares surged over 40% to an all-time high Monday afternooon after the drugmaker reported positive results from an early test of an oral anti-inflammatory drug.

The company said a Phase 1b trial of its KT-621 drug found it can help significantly reduce inflammation for patients with eczema and asthma. The treatment works by targeting STAT6, a protein that affects immune responses.

CEO Nello Mainolfi said the results “exceeded our highest expectations and provide a powerful additional validation of our industry-leading STAT6 degrader program.”

Why This Is Significant

Drug stocks can get a big boost from promising new treatments and trials, with Monday's big stock gains for Kymera Therapeutics pointing to optimism about its KT-621.

Kymera said that a Phase 2b trial of KT-621 for those with eczema is already underway, and it expects results by mid-2027. A second Phase 2b trial for asthma patients is scheduled to start in the first quarter of next year.

With Monday's gains, Kymera Therapeutics shares are up about 140% year-to-date.