Morning Dose: Healthcare & Industrials Surge, Financials Falter
A quick analysis of today’s market outlook and key trading opportunities to start your day.
Intro & Market Mood
Good morning, traders! Welcome to The Morning Dose – Everything You Need To Know Before The Market Opens. It is Monday, December 29th, 2025. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas break.
Market Status: Futures are lower with SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) down by 21 points and Nasdaq-100 ETF (QQQ) down by 120 points after a strong Christmas week that saw the S&P hitting record highs.
Key Drivers:
- Geopolitics: Updates on Trump/Zelensky meeting, potential peace deal in Ukraine, China’s military drills near Taiwan.
- Corporate: SoftBank acquiring DigitalBridge Group (DBRG), Novo Nordisk cutting Wegovy prices in China, Google Waymo facing outages and DOJ probe.
- Technicals: SPY showing bullish signs but low volume, QQQ support at 621, VXX indicating low fear.
- Sectors: Healthcare (Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund – XLV) and Industrials (Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund – XLI) exhibit strength, while Financials (Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund – XLF) and Energy (Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund – XLE) show weakness.
Schedule: Market closed Thursday for New Year’s.
Data: Pending Home Sales report at 10:00 AM Eastern Time.
Overnight Headlines
Geopolitical tensions and profit-taking drive market sentiment.
Trump/Zelensky meeting hints at peace deal in Ukraine, but unresolved ‘thorny issues’ remain. China’s military drills near Taiwan add to market uncertainty.
Economic Announcements
Pending Home Sales data at 10:00 AM ET may influence market direction today.
Earnings Highlights
- M&A Activity: SoftBank’s advanced talks to acquire DigitalBridge Group (DBRG) fuel a significant surge of nearly 28% in the pre-market.
- Google: Facing challenges with Waymo outages and DOJ probe, leading to potential downside in the stock.
- Novo Nordisk: Reduces Wegovy prices in China, impacting margin concerns and resulting in a 1.6% drop in the stock.
Top Movers
M&A news propels DBRG higher by 28%, while Alphabet’s setbacks push Google lower. Novo Nordisk’s pricing strategy affects stock performance.
Quick Trade Ideas
Watch for rotation into Healthcare and Industrials sectors. Set tight stops, avoid chasing moves due to low volume as market closes Thursday for the New Year.
Key Takeaway
Be cautious with your trades, protect capital, and let the market dictate your moves as we approach the New Year. Stay mindful of sector rotations and key technical levels.