5 things to know before the stock market opens on Thursday

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Here are five important things investors need to know to start their trading day.

Stocks soared yesterday after the Federal Reserve announced a widely expected interest rate cut at its final policy meeting of the year. However, the bank appears to have taken the “hawkish rate cut” stance many had expected, saying the move does not signal further rate cuts in the near future.

Here’s an overview:

The Fed announced a 25 basis point rate cut, marking the third rate cut in 2025. According to forecasts, policymakers expect only one rate cut over the next year. However, it was not a united front. This week’s meeting saw the most voting members fall below a majority since 2019. In a closely watched statement, the Fed cited the rising unemployment rate and signaled a possible shift in focus from inflation to the labor market. Chairman Jerome Powell sounded cautious at a news conference, saying the decision was a “close call” and that monetary policymakers could “wait and see how the economy develops.” Dow It rose nearly 500 points in Wednesday trading. S&P500 Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said the Fed could have “at least doubled” the rate cuts. Follow us here for live market updates.

oracle The company failed to meet analysts’ sales expectations in yesterday’s high-profile earnings report. The software company’s stock fell 11% in after-hours trading. Nvidia and coreweave.

The sales failure cast a shadow on Oracle’s quarterly earnings per share, which beat Wall Street expectations in the second quarter. Oracle also said that remaining performance obligations jumped more than 400% year-over-year due to new initiatives from companies such as: meta And Nvidia.

on the other hand, Cisco It hit a new high in yesterday’s trading. As CNBC’s Jordan Nobe points out, this is Cisco’s first record since the peak of the dot-com bubble in 2000.

President Trump said yesterday that the United States had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. “This is the largest confiscated item to date,” he said.

Matt Smith, principal U.S. analyst at energy consultancy Kpler, told CNBC that the tanker has been identified as the Guyanese-flagged “very large crude carrier” Skipper, which is believed to be on its way to Cuba. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in yesterday’s X-Post that the tanker had been sanctioned by the United States for years “for its involvement in an illicit oil transportation network that supports foreign terrorist organizations.”

The move comes as President Trump continues to escalate his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying in an interview with Politico published Tuesday that Maduro’s “days are numbered.” Oil prices skyrocketed yesterday following President Trump’s announcement.

Rivian There is a shift towards artificial intelligence. The electric car maker is holding its first Autonomy and AI Day today to pitch shareholders on its technology for new cars.

As CNBC’s Michael Weiland points out, Rivian’s AI push comes as the company’s core EV business has lagged expectations since going public four years ago. Rivian also loses billions of dollars each year despite efforts to cut costs and increase software revenue.

The latest shake-up of the C-suite took place last night. coca cola Operations Director Enrique Braun has announced that he will succeed James Quincey as CEO next year.

Brown has worked for the soda giant for nearly 30 years and will take over as president at the end of March. Mr. Quincey will remain with Coca-Cola as Chairman of the Board following eight years as CEO.

Coca-Cola almost outperformed its rivals pepsico Under Quincy, its eponymous Coke brand continues to be the best-selling carbonated soft drink in the United States. But the company is grappling with weaker demand as lower-income consumers succumb to inflationary pressures.

CNBC’s Hayley Cucinello reports that ultra-wealthy investment firms are using WhatsApp chats to do everything from dealing with veterinarians to selling dinosaur bones. Yes, you read that correctly.

—CNBC’s Jeff Cox, Michelle Fox, Sarah Min, Christina Cheddar Burke, Kevin Browninger, Sean Conlon, Jordan Nove, Spencer Kimball, Michael Weiland, Jacob Plamuk, Amelia Lucas and Haley Cucinello contributed to this report. Josephine Rozzelle edited this version.