Good morning investors! The market remains under pressure as big names fail to go up.
Today we cover:
What to expect this week
Oracle denies rumors
Avoiding gift card scams
📊 Economy and News
What to Expect this Week
Here’s what to keep an eye on this week:
Monday, December 15
Homebuilder confidence index (December)
Empire State manufacturing survey (December)
Fed speeches: Governor Stephen Miran; New York Fed President John Williams
Earnings: Navan (NAVN)
Tuesday, December 16
November employment report (delayed; includes some October data)
October retail sales
September business inventories
S&P flash U.S. PMI (December)
Earnings: Lennar (LEN)
Wednesday, December 17
Fed speeches: Governor Christopher Waller; New York Fed President John Williams; Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic
Earnings: Micron Technology (MU), Jabil (JBL), General Mills (GIS)
Thursday, December 18
November CPI (inflation data, watching tariff impacts)
Weekly jobless claims
Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey (December)
Earnings: Accenture (ACN), Nike (NKE), Cintas (CTAS), FedEx (FDX), Darden Restaurants (DRI), Birkenstock (BIRK), CarMax (KMX), KB Home (KBH), BlackBerry (BB)
Friday, December 19
November existing-home sales
Final December consumer sentiment
Earnings: Paychex (PAYX), Carnival (CCL), Conagra (CAG), Lamb Weston (LW), Winnebago (WGO)
Global hits:
India’s growth to slow in 2026 but still strongest among major economies.
For 1st time since trade war, Canada exported more than it imported.
TSA is giving airline passenger data to ICE for deportation push.
Reminder: Free child care for all? New Mexico is putting the theory to the test.
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📈 Stocks
S&P 500 6,827.41 (-1.07%)
DJIA 48,458.05 (-0.51%)
NASDAQ 23,195.17 (-1.69%)
BRENT CRUDE 61.14 (-0.24%
* Prices as of Dec 14th, 12:20 AM UTC
Oracle Denies Delays in OpenAI Data Center Projects Amid Stock Drop
Oracle pushed back against a Bloomberg report claiming delays in completing some data centers for key customer OpenAI, pushing timelines from 2027 to 2028 due to labor and material shortages. The report contributed to Oracle shares falling over 4% on December 12, 2025.
An Oracle spokesperson stated: "Site selection and delivery timelines were established in close coordination with OpenAI... There have been no delays to any sites required to meet our contractual commitments, and all milestones remain on track." No specific activation timeline was provided.
The partnership, part of the massive Stargate AI infrastructure project, involves OpenAI committing over $300 billion to Oracle cloud services over five years. Oracle's cloud business is growing but trails leaders like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.
OpenAI is also pursuing non-binding deals with Nvidia (for 10 GW of equipment starting late 2026) and Broadcom (custom chips expected 2027–2029), diversifying to meet surging AI compute demands.
AI stocks seem to be under pressure as Oracle wasn’t the only name that fell last week. Broadcom tumbled 11% despite a better-than-expected report.
Interesting: ServiceNow in talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Armis in potential $7 billion deal. Also, Powerball jackpot climbs to $1.1 billion after there were no big winners in Saturday’s drawin.
💵 Personal Finance
How to Avoid Gift Card Scams This Holiday Season
Gift cards are a popular, convenient holiday choice, but scammers target them frequently. Here are key steps to protect your money, based on advice from the FTC and Better Business Bureau.
Inspect Physical Cards in Stores
Check for tampering: Ensure the PIN covering isn't scratched off or revealing the code.
Avoid cards with fake barcode stickers on the back—these redirect funds to scammers.
If anything looks suspicious, don't buy from that rack; report it to the store.
Buy Safely Online
Purchase directly from reputable retailers' websites.
Avoid auction sites, "free" card offers via email/text, or third-party sellers—these often involve stolen or fake cards.
Keep Records and Monitor
Save receipts and photograph the card's front/back.
Advise recipients to check the balance immediately and register the card if possible.
Report lost/stolen cards to the issuer right away.
Never Pay Demands with Gift Cards
Scammers posing as officials demand urgent payments via gift cards.
Legitimate organizations never require gift card payments—it's always a scam.
If scammed, report to the card issuer and FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
💰 Be a Better Investor
“Money grows on the tree of persistence.”
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