S&P 500, NASDAQ and Dow futures see dip after a mixed day of trading on Wall Street; here’s how key indexes performed

Hours after the US stock market drifted through a mixed day on Tuesday (December 16, 2025), stock futures edged lower during the overnight hours. According to CNBC, S&P 500 futures slipped 0.2%. Nasdaq 100 futures lost 0.3%, while futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 79 points (approximately 0.2%). Wall Street witnessed a mixed day of trading on Tuesday after reports on the economy did not do much to clear uncertainty about where interest rates may be heading.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.24% to 6,800.26 and remains a bit below its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 302 points, or 0.6%, to 48,114.26, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.23% to 23,111.46.

Unemployment rate at its worst level since 2021

According to AP, Treasury yields eased in the bond market after one report said the U.S. unemployment rate was at its worst level since 2021. Employers, however, also added more jobs in November 2025 than economists expected.

Meanwhile, a separate report revealed that an underlying measure of strength for revenue at US retailers grew more in October 2025 than economists expected. The mixed data meant little change in traders’ hopes that the Federal Reserve may continue to cut interest rates further in 2026.

All eyes on the inflation report

A report coming on Thursday (December 18, 2025) will show how bad inflation was last month (November 2025), and economists expect it to show prices for U.S. consumers continue to rise faster than anyone would like.
A report released on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) after US stocks began trading suggested price pressures are rising sharply, with average selling prices for businesses climbing at one of the fastest rates since the middle of 2022. The preliminary data from S&P Global also said growth for overall business activity slowed to its weakest level since June.