5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens on December 4, 2025

Markets brace for another day of legacy finance theater.

Pre-Market Pulse Check

Futures are doing their usual pre-bell dance—slightly up, slightly down, mostly just killing time until the real action begins. Because let's be honest, the real volatility happens in assets that trade 24/7.

Earnings Spotlight

Five major firms report today. Analysts expect the usual script: managed beats on lowered guidance, followed by carefully worded CEO optimism that ignores the elephant in the room—central bank policy.

Economic Data Drop

The jobless claims number hits at 8:30 AM ET. It's the weekly ritual where we parse a single data point for clues about the entire economy, while decentralized ledgers update in real-time, globally, without a government survey in sight.

Sector to Watch

Keep an eye on tech. Again. It's either leading the charge or dragging everything down—there's rarely an in-between in this bipolar market. Their dependence on cheap capital makes them the canary in the coal mine for interest rate sentiment.

Fed Speaker Circuit

Another Fed official is scheduled to speak today. Markets will hang on every syllable, parsing for hints of a pivot that may or may not come in six months. It's monetary policy as a spectator sport, where the most impactful moves often happen in the shadows of traditional banking hours.

Today's cynical jab: Remember, in the stock market, you're trading pieces of paper that represent companies, based on data that's often outdated, guided by officials who speak in riddles. Meanwhile, blockchain networks settle billions, transparently, without opening bells or closing auctions. The future of finance isn't waiting for the market to open—it's already running.

Stocks Little Changed as Major Indexes Back Near Record Highs

Stock futures are hovering near unchanged this morning after the major indexes gained for the seventh time in the last eight trading sessions on Wednesday. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the benchmark S&P 500 were up 0.1% recently, while those linked to the tech-heavy Nasdaq were fractionally lower. The Dow and S&P 500 enter today's session less than 1% away from new record closing highs. Stocks have rallied as investors have grown increasingly confident that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its policy meeting next week. Market participants will be keeping tabs on jobless claims numbers this morning and a key inflation report set to be released Friday, which are among the final data points the Fed will have before making its decision. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which affects borrowing costs on a wide range of consumer loans, was at 4.09% recently, up from 4.06% late yesterday. Bitcoin was little changed at around $93,000, after rising sharply the past two days, while gold futures were down 0.3% at $4,220 an ounce.

Meta Faces EU Antitrust Investigation Over WhatsApp AI Policies

The European Commission has launched a new investigation into Meta Platforms (META), as the EU's enforcement arm continues its recent trend of investigating big tech companies. The Commission will evaluate whether Meta's new policy blocking AI companies from being able to reach users directly through the app violates EU competition law. Currently, users can communicate with several AI companies that offer their chatbot services through WhatsApp, but as of Jan. 15, 2026, those companies may be blocked from talking to users thanks to a new Meta policy. The Commission says that could be anticompetitive if it means that Meta's own chatbot, Meta AI, is the only option for users to communicate with after the policy goes into effect. A WhatsApp spokesperson told Investopedia that the Commission's claims are "baseless" and that the policy change is being made because AI companies operating their chatbot services on WhatsApp strains the platform's infrastructure.

Salesforce Tops Earnings Estimates as AI Drives Growth

Salesforce (CRM) topped profit estimates in its latest earnings report and lifted its outlook for the full year, citing momentum from its AI offerings. The customer relationship management software leader late Wednesday reported revenue that came in roughly in line with estimates, while adjusted earnings per share of $3.25 was about 40 cents higher than analysts had projected. CEO Marc Benioff said that the company's Agentforce—which helps companies build customized AI agents that are designed to handle more complex tasks than normal AI chatbots—was a major growth driver in the quarter. The company increased its revenue and profit projections. Salesforce shares, which through Wednesday's close had lost 29% of their value so far in 2025, were up 1.5% in recent premarket trading.

Paramount, Netflix Continue Sweetening Bids for Warner Bros. Discovery

Shares of Paramount Skydance (PSKY) and Netflix (NFLX) have stabilized this morning after sliding yesterday amid reports that the companies had sweetened their respective bids to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Wednesday afternoon, Bloomberg reported that Paramount has hiked its breakup fee, what it would pay Warner Bros. if a deal is agreed to but never completed, to $5 billion from $2.1 billion previously. The growing sum suggests Paramount is confident that a potential acquisition would survive regulatory scrutiny, as the Ellison family that now controls Paramount Skydance has talked publicly about having a good relationship with the TRUMP administration, per Bloomberg. Paramount Skydance shares were up 1% in premarket trading after tumbling 7% yesterday, while Netflix shares rose slightly ahead of the fell after sliding 5% on Wednesday.

Discount Retailers Report Strong Earnings as Consumers Seek Value

Shares of Dollar Tree (DLTR), Five Below (FIVE) and Dollar General (DG) are all rising this morning as investors digest strong earnings reports from the discount retailers. Dollar Tree, which released its better-than-exepected results yesterday morning, said it continues to see "value-seeking behavior" from consumers and that it gained market share with higher-income households. Five Below late Wednesday also reported results that topped Wall Street estimates, as comparable sales jumped 14% during the latest quarter. Meanwhile, Dollar General this morning reported a higher-than-anticipated profit and reaffirmed its plan to open around 575 new stores next year, while remodeling thousands more. Dollar General shares were up nearly 6% ahead of the opening bell, while shares of Five Below and Dollar Tree added 3% and 1%, respectively.