Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell in New York on Dec. 16, 2025. Charly Triballeau | Afp | Getty Images
This is CNBC's Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox. Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Numbers game
The S&P 500 logged its third straight losing day yesterday as investors weighed jobs numbers for the last two months. The delayed data painted a familiar economic picture — low hiring, low firing — and didn't move the needle when it came to the odds of a January interest rate cut. Here's what to know: Nonfarm payrolls grew by a seasonally adjusted 64,000 in November, more than the Dow Jones estimate of 45,000.
The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.6%, higher than expectations and the highest level in more than 4 years.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics — whose reports have been delayed thanks to this fall's government shutdown — also released an abbreviated report for October, which showed payrolls decreased by 105,000 in the month.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Nasdaq Composite
Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil prices closed at their lowest level since early 2021, after falling nearly 3%.
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2. Robotaxiing to a record
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