Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as the opening bell rings on December 16, 2025.
Charlie Tribalew | AFP | Getty Images
This is CNBC’s Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox.
Here are five important things investors need to know to start their trading day.
1. Number game
of S&P500 Yesterday marked a third straight loss as investors considered the past two months of employment data. The delayed data painted a familiar economic picture of fewer jobs and fewer layoffs, but made no move on the odds of a January interest rate cut.
Here’s what you need to know:
Nonfarm payrolls rose by a seasonally adjusted 64,000 jobs in November, beating the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s forecast of 45,000 jobs. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, higher than expected and the highest level in more than four years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (which has been delayed due to this fall’s government shutdown) also released an abbreviated report for October, showing that payrolls fell by 105,000 jobs that month. Dow Jones Industrial Average Yesterday I joined the S&P in the red, Nasdaq Composite Ended the session on a high. Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil prices closed at their lowest since early 2021 after falling nearly 3%. Follow us here for live market updates.
2. Set a record with a robot taxi
Tesla CEO Elon Musk will speak at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on November 6, 2025.
Provided by: Tesla
shares of tesla Shares rose 3% yesterday, hitting new intraday and closing highs as traders bet on the EV maker’s robotaxi ambitions.
Tuesday’s gains have pushed the stock up 21% since the beginning of the year, a stunning turnaround from a 36% decline in the first quarter. This week’s rally was fueled by CEO Elon Musk’s comments in an X post on Sunday that Tesla was testing driverless cars in Austin.
But not everything is green light for Tesla. A California judge has ruled that EV manufacturers’ marketing of “Autopilot” and “full self-driving” features is deceptive. The California Department of Transportation announced last night that Tesla has 60 days to resolve the issue or its license to sell in the state could be suspended for 30 days.
3. “Not enough”
Jack Silva | Null Photo | Getty Images
of warner bros discovery The board announced this morning that it had told shareholders to vote unanimously to reject the proposal. paramount skydance It argued that the value of the takeover offer was “inadequate”.
Paramount launched a hostile bid last week. Netflix Announced that it has reached a $72 billion deal for WBD’s film and streaming assets. “Netflix made a compelling offer: a lot of cash, certainty of closing, a high termination fee, and they addressed the operational issues that we were concerned about,” WBD board chairman Samuel Di Piazza told David Faber on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this morning.
Yesterday, Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners announced it was withdrawing from Paramount’s bid. Affinity’s role in the proposal raised eyebrows because Kushner is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. President Trump said he would be involved in the approval process for the Netflix-WBD deal.
4. Crunch time
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) speaks to the media after a classified briefing for the entire House of Representatives on the situation in Venezuela at the U.S. Capitol on December 16, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
House Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday that there will be no vote this week on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, other than ensuring Obamacare subsidies expire at the end of the year.
The House is in recess next week, but the ACA credits could still be voted on if enough Republicans support Democratic-led efforts to force a meaningful vote on the issue.
According to estimates by the health policy research group KFF, about 22 million Americans are receiving enhanced subsidies. If the policy expires, KFF estimates that next year’s premiums will more than double on average.
5. Hey Siri, what’s next?
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook speaks at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
apple Although it has largely withdrawn from the artificial intelligence race this year, it has big plans for 2026.
The iPhone maker has promised to launch its next generation AI voice assistant, Siri, sometime next year. The upgrade, originally scheduled for 2025 but delayed to March, is seen as an opportunity for Apple to catch up with the likes of OpenAI. google and their respective chatbots.
“They basically said don’t worry about AI this year and you’ll be surprised by what they’ll show you next year,” said Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management.
daily dividend
Auction prices for iconic Birkin and Kelly bags are falling, according to Bernstein data. Experts say the trend is due to fewer people buying Birkins at auction as luxury-minded consumers feel pressured by inflation and a slowing labor market, leaving second-hand Birkins on the market.
—CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Pia Singh, Jeff Cox, Spencer Kimball, Laura Kolodny, Dan Mangan, Garrett Downs, Sara Salinas, Alex Sherman, Eamonn Javers, Kif Lethwing and Robert Frank contributed to this report. Melody Warner edited this version.
