5 things to know before the stock market opens on Thursday

Here are the most important news items investors need to start their trading day:

Post-election rallies were suspended on Wednesday. U.S. stocks were mixed on the day, with the frenzied rally that followed President-elect Donald Trump’s victory last week stalling. of Dow and S&P500 Both rose only slightly, but Nasdaq Composite There is a check mark below. Following the release of inflation statistics in October, there were mixed opinions. The consumer price index rose 2.6% from the previous year, in line with expectations. The numbers show the persistence of price increases, but confirm market expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next month. President Trump has threatened to impose broad tariffs on imports, raising concerns that inflation could rise again next year. Follow live market updates.

walt disney The streaming business turned a profit for the second consecutive quarter, narrowly beating earnings estimates on Thursday. The combined Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ division had operating income of $321 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $387 million in the year-ago period. Disney and its rivals have long struggled to turn a profit in their streaming business as viewers ditch pay-TV packages. Disney also received a boost from box office hits such as “Inside Head 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which are the highest-grossing animated films and R-rated films of all time, respectively.

Republicans secured control of Washington for the next two years. The Republican Party is According to NBC News, Congress is expected to gain a majority in the House of Representatives and take control of both chambers of Congress and the White House starting in January. Republicans will have the power to push through key parts of President Trump’s agenda, from tax cuts to tariffs and immigration enforcement. The party will continue to face policy challenges. Republicans are expected to maintain a slim House majority and control up to 53 of the 100 Senate seats, leaving little room for defection as they seek to pass complex legislation. Separately, Republicans selected Sen. John Thune as Senate Majority Leader, making the South Dakota lawmaker responsible for approving President Trump’s nominees for key administration positions.

President Trump has already begun announcing who will serve in his administration, laying out an overall picture of how he will address issues from environmental regulation to foreign policy. On Wednesday, he announced his selection of Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. An ardent critic of China – as Secretary of State. In some cases, Trump has raised eyebrows by appearing to value personal loyalty over relevant experience, such as when he chose Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon. I once hid it. But no choice caused as much controversy as the selection of fellow Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general. Gaetz has been a vocal critic of the Biden Justice Department and supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but Gaetz has been questioned by the House Ethics Committee about whether he engaged in sexual misconduct or illegal drug use. was facing investigation. The investigation, in which Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, will end if Gaetz resigns from Congress. Gaetz will face a tough road to Senate confirmation.

AMD We are reducing personnel. The company announced that it will lay off approximately 1,000 employees, representing 4% of its global workforce. AMD, which ranks second in graphics processing unit (GPU) production behind market darling Nvidia, is betting on AI as a growth engine. However, the company has not had the same stock market success as its larger competitors. AMD stock is down more than 5% this year, lagging the S&P 500 index’s gains of 25% and 195%. Nvidiarespectively.

– CNBC’s Sarah Min, Lillian Rizzo, Ece Yildirim, Rebecca Picciotto, Kevin Breuninger, Holly Ellyatt and Kif Leswing contributed to this report.