Top News

1. FOMC to Gain Three Hawkish Voting Members in 2025;
2. NVIDIA to Launch Next-Gen Humanoid Robot Computer, Jetson Thor, in 2025;
3. Boeing Shares Fall Pre-Market After Jeju Air Crash Involving 737-800 Model;
4. MicroStrategy Acquires 2,138 Bitcoins, Total Holdings Now 446,000 at Average Price of $62,428;

I. Market Report

As of 08:31 AM, EST (or 04:31 PM in Riyadh ), the blue-chip Dow Jones Futures soften 353 points or 0.81% to 42,991, the broad-based S&P 500 Futures slide 62 points or 1.02% to 5,965, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Futures crash 250 points or 1.15% to 21,448. (Data source: Wind Quant)

As of 08:29 AM, EST (or 04:29 PM in Riyadh ), top pre-market movements are as follows:

Read more: Pre-Bell Movers | INTZ Up 121% After Friday's 380% Gain; Here Are 20 Stocks to Watch Premarket

II. Flash Headlines

FOMC to Gain Three Hawkish Voting Members in 2025

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve will rotate four new voting members next year, with three perceived as hawkish. The 2025 voting members will include Boston Fed President Susan Collins, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem, and Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid. According to InTouch Capital Markets, Goolsbee is the sole dove among them, with Collins and Musalem being mildly hawkish and Schmid moderately hawkish.

Bank of America Warns of Potential Market Bubble in 2025 Amid Strong 2024 Outlook

Bank of America believes the "right-tail risk" facing the US stock market could be larger than many anticipate. BofA expects 2024 to be a robust year for US equities, with prosperity continuing into next year. However, combining current Trump 2.0 policies with the AI revolution may lead to accumulating risks, high valuations indicated by an S&P 500 forward P/E ratio above 25, and vulnerabilities shown by VIX fluctuations, potentially resulting in an unavoidable market bubble burst in 2025.

Goldman Sachs Projects Humanoid Robot Market to Hit $38 Billion by 2035

Goldman Sachs predicts in a report that the humanoid robot industry will reach US$38 billion by 2035, up from an earlier forecast of US$6 billion. The investment bank attributes this to the rapid evolution of AI, technological breakthroughs, and increased capital expenditure. Significant advancements in end-to-end AI allow robots to self-train without human coders, speeding up development. Humanoid robots are expected to be first used in factories between 2024-2027 and enter the consumer market between 2028-2031.

III. Stocks To Watch

NVIDIA to Launch Next-Gen Humanoid Robot Computer, Jetson Thor, in 2025

NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA.US) is set to officially launch its next-generation small computer for humanoid robots, Jetson Thor, in the first half of 2025, according to media reports. Deepu Talla, Nvidia’s vice president of robotics, stated that the "ChatGPT moment" for physical AI and robotics is approaching, and the market has reached a “turning point.” Nvidia aims to be the leading platform in the robotics revolution by offering full-stack solutions, from AI training software layers to built-in chips.

Tesla Shares Drop Pre-Market as Q4 Delivery Data Awaited, Cybertruck Sale Rumors Debunked

Tesla Motors, Inc.(TSLA.US) fell over 2% in pre-market trading to US$423. Analysts expect Tesla to report Q4 deliveries of approximately 511,000 units this week, up from 484,000 units a year ago and 463,000 units last quarter. Full-year deliveries are forecasted at 1.805 million units, slightly below last year’s 1.809 million. Tesla China refuted rumors that the Cybertruck will be available domestically on January 1, 2025.

Boeing Shares Fall Pre-Market After Jeju Air Crash Involving 737-800 Model

Boeing Company(BA.US) shares dropped over 3% in pre-market trading to US$175.09. Reports indicate that a Jeju Air flight crashed on December 29, killing 179 people. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-800. The Boeing 737 series, widely used globally, has experienced 26 major fatal accidents in the past 24 years, averaging 1.1 accidents per year since 2000.

MicroStrategy Acquires 2,138 Bitcoins, Total Holdings Now 446,000 at Average Price of US$62,428

MicroStrategy Incorporated Class A(MSTR.US) announced it acquired 2,138 bitcoins from December 23 to December 29 at an average price of US$97,837 per bitcoin, spending approximately US$209 million in cash. As of December 29, 2024, the company and its subsidiaries hold approximately 446,000 bitcoins. The total purchase cost is about US$27.9 billion, with an average purchase price of around US$62,428 per bitcoin.

VeriSign Shares Rise Pre-Market as Berkshire Hathaway Increases Investment

VeriSign, Inc.(VRSN.US) shares rose over 2% in pre-market trading to US$209.20. According to recent SEC filings, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway increased its investment in the internet domain registry company. Over three trading days last week, Berkshire invested an additional US$28.55 million in VeriSign. Berkshire now holds approximately 13.7% of VeriSign, with a market value close to US$2.7 billion.

TSMC to Raise Prices for Advanced Process Nodes Amid AI Demand Surge

Media reports indicate Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sponsored ADR(TSM.US) will increase prices for its 3nm, 5nm, and CoWoS processes starting January 2025, in response to surging demand in the AI sector. The price hikes are expected to be 5%-10% for 3nm and 5nm processes, and 15%-20% for CoWoS. However, TSMC will offer approximately 5% discounts for high-volume customers in mature process nodes.

IV. Calendar

Events: