5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens on December 10, 2025

Markets brace for another day of legacy finance theater while digital assets quietly build real infrastructure.

1. The Opening Bell Ritual

Traders prepare for the daily performance—a carefully choreographed dance of pre-market whispers and algorithmic posturing that somehow still moves trillions.

2. Yesterday's Ghosts

Overnight Asian and European sessions already baked their drama into the pie. Now Wall Street gets to pretend it's discovering fresh news.

3. The Fed Whisper Network

Every analyst with a Bloomberg terminal will parse sentences from officials who've mastered the art of saying nothing with tremendous conviction.

4. Earnings Theater Season

Companies deploy accounting gymnastics to hit targets while retail investors cheer the manipulated numbers—a tradition as old as ticker tape.

5. The Crypto Undertow

While traditional markets obsess over basis points, blockchain networks process billions in real settlements. The future doesn't wait for opening bells.

Remember: The stock market is where you pay professionals to gamble with your money, then thank them for the privilege when they lose it. Meanwhile, decentralized protocols run 24/7 without asking for permission—or management fees.

Stock Futures Slip Ahead of Fed Interest Rate Decision

Stock futures are holding steady this morning as investors await today's Federal Reserve decision on interest rates. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the benchmark S&P 500 were hovering near unchanged in recent trading, while Nasdaq futures slipped 0.1%. The major indexes turned in a mixed performance yesterday, with the Dow and S&P 500 falling 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.1%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which affects borrowing costs on all sorts of loans, ticked higher to 4.20% this morning, trading at a three-month high. Bitcoin was just below $92,000 recently, down from a high yesterday around $94,500 but up from weekend lows below $88,000. Gold was down 0.3% at $4,225 an ounce.

Fed Widely Expected to Cut Key Rate; Dot Plot, Powell Comments in Focus

The Federal Reserve is expected to announce a cut in its benchmark interest rate at the end of a two-day policy committee meeting. The decision is scheduled to be released at 2:00 p.m. ET, along with a summary of economic projections from committee members, including the closely followed "dot plot" that maps out interest rate expectations. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is due to speak at a press conference a half hour after the rate decision is announced, and investors will be looking for clues on where monetary policy could be headed in the coming months. The Fed is attempting to balance its main priorities of supporting the labor market, which a rate cut would help, and keeping a lid on inflation, which could be spurred by rate cuts. President Donald TRUMP is set to replace Powell with his own Fed Chair nominee when Powell's term ends in May.

Oracle Earnings Due Amid AI Bubble Questions

Oracle (ORCL) is slated to release its latest earnings report after the market closes today, with the cloud computing giant expected to report another sizable increase in sales thanks to demand from AI companies. Last quarter, Oracle shares surged to a record high following its fiscal first quarter earnings report, but the stock has given back those gains in the months since amid concerns about an AI bubble in the market inflating valuations. Investors and analysts are also concerned that Oracle may be becoming too dependent on a few large customers such as OpenAI, and that the company could put its financial health at risk by accumulating debt to build out the infrastructure it needs to meet demand. Investors will be looking for more clarity on Oracle's plans to address concerns about debt. Oracle shares were up 0.5% in recent premarket trading. The stock has gained 33% since the start of 2025, but is down 36% from its record high in September.

Cracker Barrel Sinks as Sales, Outlook Disappoint

Cracker Barrel (CBRL) stock is tumbling after the restaurant chain's quarterly results and outlook disappointed. The company said after the bell Tuesday that it lost an adjusted $0.74 per share in its fiscal first quarter, slightly better than analysts had forecast, but revenue of $797.2 million was shy of the analyst consensus compiled by Visible Alpha. Comparable store sales for both Cracker Barrel's restaurants and the retail operations within its restaurants declined by more than analysts had forecast. Cracker Barrel also cut its outlook for revenue and a key profitability metric for fiscal 2026, as CEO Julie Masino said the company is planning to undertake a range of cost-cutting measures to improve its financial health. Shares were down more than 4% in premarket trading. The stock has lost about 50% of its value since the start of the year and is trading at its lowest levels since 2009.

GE Vernova Surges on Rosy Outlook, Boosted Dividend

GE Vernova (GEV) shares are surging after the former General Electric division announced a range of updates to its financial outlook as part of its annual investor day. The energy equipment manufacturer said its 2025 sales are trending towards the higher end of its $36 billion to $37 billion forecast, and lifted its projections for free cash FLOW this year, along with where it expects sales, free cash flow, and profit margins to be by 2028. GE Vernova's board has also approved doubling its dividend to $0.50 per share and increasing its stock buyback plan to $10 billion from $6 billion previously. GE Vernova shares were up more than 10% ahead of the opening bell.