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Stock market today: S&P 500, Nasdaq drift near record levels as Dow falls following key jobs data

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Stock market today: S&P 500, Nasdaq drift near record levels as Dow falls following key jobs data

US stocks traded mixed on Tuesday as investors digested fresh jobs data and waited for new Fedspeak to cement or dent growing hopes for future interest rate cuts.

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell about 0.2%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) hugged the flat line in late morning trade, coming off fresh records for the two gauges. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) reversed earlier gains to fall roughly 0.4%.

Job openings rose by 372,000 to 7.74 million in October compared to estimates of 7.52 million, according to BLS data released on Tuesday.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) also showed fewer hires were made during the month while the quits rate, a sign of confidence among workers, rose to 2.1% from 1.9% in September.

The JOLTS data serves as the first in a wave of key signals this week that culminates in Friday’s all-important monthly US payrolls report.

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Traders are now pricing in about a 69% chance that the Fed lowers rates by a quarter percentage point at its Dec. 18 meeting, compared with 62% a day ago, per the CME FedWatch tool.

Those odds could shift after Fed policymakers Austan Goolsbee and Adriana Kugler appear later on Tuesday, which will set the stage for Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s panel discussion on Wednesday.

On the corporate front, Tesla (TSLA) stock slipped in early trading after shipments of the EV maker’s China-built models fell again, putting sales targets in doubt. In addition, CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay deal was rejected again by a judge.

Meanwhile, shares in US Steel (X) fell about 8% on the heels of President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to “block” its $15 billion takeover by Japan’s Nippon Steel (5401.T, NPSCY). Trump said tax incentives and tariffs will enable the American steel giant to thrive on its own.

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  • Sector check: Communication Services gain while Industrials lag

    Communication Services (XLC), Health Care (XLV), and Energy (XLE) led Tuesday’s sector action. Markets traded mixed as traders assessed new jobs data and awaited more Fedspeak.

    Oil prices stood out, with WTI crude (CL=F) climbing 3% to trade above $70 a barrel. Brent crude (BZ=F), the international benchmark, also rose to trade just below $74 a barrel.

    Industrials (XLI) was the day’s biggest laggard, dragged down by shares of Aflec (AFL), which fell 4% as investors weighed disappointing outlook. Financials (XLF) and Consumer Staples (XLP) also fell.

  • Alexandra Canal

    US economy poised for ‘solid’ growth in 2025 as America ‘doesn’t import recessions’: BofA

    The US economy is on solid footing right now. Economists at Bank of America expect it to stay that way through next year.

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    In a research note released to reporters on Monday, BofA’s economics team led by Claudio Irigoyen projected the US economy will grow at an annualized rate of 2.4% in 2025, higher than current forecasts for 2% growth, according to the latest Bloomberg consensus estimates.

    This comes despite uncertainties surrounding the economic policies of President-elect Donald Trump, including campaign promises of tariffs on imported goods, tax cuts for corporations, and curbs on immigration, which economists have viewed as inflationary.

    Higher rates, coupled with a hawkish tariff policy, would strengthen the US dollar and create spillover effects to global financial conditions, representing “a major shock, not only for the US economy but the rest of the world,” according to BofA.

    But there’s one important caveat: The US is best prepared to weather any economic storm that follows Trump’s agenda.

    “We like to say that the US imports a lot of stuff, but it doesn’t import recessions,” Aditya Bhave, senior US economist at Bank of America, told Yahoo Finance in a separate press briefing on Monday. “It only exports recessions.”

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    Read more here.

  •  Josh Schafer

    Job openings rise more than expected in October

    Job openings rose more than expected in October as investors continue to dissect the pace of the labor market slowdown seen in the back half of 2024 amid questions over how much further the Federal Reserve will slash interest rates over the next year.

    New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday showed 7.74 million jobs were open at the end of October, an increase from 7.37 million in September.

    The September figure was revised lower from the 7.44 million open jobs initially reported. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected Tuesday’s report to show 7.51 million openings in October.

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    The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) also showed 5.31 million hires were made during the month, down from 5.58 million hires made during September. The hiring rate fell to 3.3% from 3.5% in September. Also in Tuesday’s report: The quits rate, a sign of confidence among workers, rose to 2.1% from 1.9% in September.

    Read more here.

  • Alexandra Canal

    Stocks hold near records

    US stocks opened mostly higher on Tuesday, hovering near all-time highs.

    The S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) each opened close to the flat line, coming off fresh records for the two gauges. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) ticked up about 0.1%.

    Investors are bracing for a reading later on JOLTS job openings in October, the first in a wave of key data this week that culminates in Friday’s all-important monthly US payrolls report.

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  • Jenny McCall

    Good morning. Here’s what’s happening today.

  • Brian Sozzi

    Intel, day two

    Lots of analysis on the CEO shake-up at Intel (INTC) has been released, but this is not a one-day story.

    The path forward for Intel is vitally important for the country — the chip supply chain must be diversified beyond a singular reliance on Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM).

    But that path forward for Intel will be brutal, at best.

    Here are a couple of good points this morning from Evercore ISI analyst Mark Lipacis:

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    Below are some of my initial insights on Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s departure:

Finance

Quadient Recognized as a Leader in the 2026 SPARK Matrix for Accounts Receivable Applications

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Quadient Recognized as a Leader in the 2026 SPARK Matrix for Accounts Receivable Applications
QUADIENT

Quadient demonstrates continued innovation in AI-driven invoice-to-cash automation and unified finance operations

Paris

Quadient (Euronext Paris: QDT), a global automation platform powering secure and sustainable business connections, announced today it has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year as a Leader in the 2026 SPARK Matrix™ for Accounts Receivable Applications by technology analyst and advisory firm QKS Group. Quadient strengthened its position in the report year-over-year, with a notable improvement in Technology Excellence, reflecting continued innovation in its AI-driven invoice-to-cash solution.

According to QKS Group, Quadient’s leadership position highlights its evolution into a comprehensive, AI-powered platform that delivers strong predictive accuracy and straight-through processing. The analyst firm also emphasized the capability of Quadient’s solutions to unify accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP), offering finance leaders greater visibility and insights into their business finances to make faster, better decisions on working capital management.

Earlier this month, Quadient announced the release of its new cash dashboard capability for AR and AP that allows finance teams to bring together traditionally siloed data in a single view. An AI assistant summarizes key metrics and provides analysis that helps finance leaders accelerate cash on hand, improve forecasting, reduce risk and uncover opportunities to optimize working capital.

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“Quadient has established a strong position in the 2026 Accounts Receivable Automation market through its focus on intelligent automation, cash flow optimization and integrated financial operations,” said Sanjeevi C R, associate vice president, Enterprise Research at QKS Group. “The platform’s evolution from predictive analytics to AI-driven autonomous collections execution represents a meaningful step forward in reducing manual effort across the invoice-to-cash cycle. What differentiates Quadient is its ability to combine collections management, cash application, and payment processing with a unified accounts receivable and accounts payable ecosystem, providing finance leaders with a more holistic view of working capital performance. By enabling greater automation, enhanced cash flow visibility, and more efficient receivables operations, Quadient continues to deliver measurable value for organizations seeking to modernize their financial processes and improve liquidity management.”

QKS Group highlighted the following key strengths for Quadient AR:

  • Autonomous AI capabilities that simplify accounts payable processes with greater clarity and keep invoices moving from capture to payment resolution;

  • A unified AR and AP platform, reducing silos and simplifying financial operations;

  • And advanced cash application that improves matching accuracy and minimizes manual reconciliation

“CFOs and their teams are facing more complex challenges than ever before. They need a trusted partner who offers cash flow management optimization solutions that deliver faster cash application, improved collections performance and enhanced AI-based forecasting,” said Lilac Schoenbeck, senior vice president for Digital solutions at Quadient. “This recognition as a Leader in the SPARK Matrix reflects how we’re helping customers transform finance operations end-to-end, automating time-consuming tasks, improving accuracy and freeing up resources to focus on strategic initiatives that drive business growth.”

For the complimentary report, visit: quadient.com.

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About Quadient
Quadient designs and builds human-centered, AI-driven automation solutions for business communications. Our software empowers hundreds of thousands of customers to create, deliver, and manage world-class communications with speed and ease. From financial automation and customer communications to mail and parcel management, Quadient reduces friction and waste so customers can focus on growth and customer connections. Quadient is listed on Euronext Paris (QDT) and part of the CAC® Mid & Small and CAC Technology indexes. Make room for the remarkable at quadient.com.

Contacts

Quadient
Joe Scolaro
+1 203-301-3673
j.scolaro@quadient.com  

Walker Sands
Kiley Ribordy
quadientpr@walkersands.com   

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G7 Recommits to Development, Investment Finance to Drive Shared Prosperity

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G7 Recommits to Development, Investment Finance to Drive Shared Prosperity
In a message of “convergence and unity in response to multiple crises,” the Group of 7 (G7) leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US, together with the EU, have agreed to foster mutually beneficial international partnerships.

The G7 Leaders’ Summit took place in Évia

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Protecting Bolivia’s forest watersheds with sustainable finance

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Protecting Bolivia’s forest watersheds with sustainable finance

Why financing matters for forest restoration 

Over the past several years, Armonía and local communities have made significant progress restoring parts of the Tunari protected area. To date they have planted 1.25 million trees, with more than half of these planted in the Tiquipaya municipality. Community wildfire brigades have been strengthened, reservoirs built to secure water, and new systems created for communities to participate in watershed management.

One of the most important actions was strengthening the structure and function of a watershed governance body, known as Organismo de Gestión de Cuencas (OGC). This coordinates restoration activities and helps design sustainable development strategies for the communities living in the park, helping rebuild trust between them, park authorities and conservation organisations. Women leaders have played an important role in shaping this work. 

However, a major challenge was highlighted – restoration takes decades, but most conservation funding arrives through short-term projects. Without stable long-term financing, restoration gains are difficult to maintain. 

Community members have helped plant more than a million trees in Tiquipaya © Asociación Armonía.

How the financing model would work 

The proposed PES mechanism would collect small contributions directed into a transparent trust fund with independent governance. Resources would then be invested in three main areas: 

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  • Forest restoration and protection – Communities would receive incentives for protecting existing forest and payments tied to successful restoration outcomes. 
  • Community sustainable development – Investments would support livelihood activities that reduce pressure on the forest, such as sustainable agriculture, water management and local enterprises. 
  • Strengthening park management – Funds would help support ranger capacity, wildfire prevention and long-term monitoring within Tunari National Park. 

For communities, the system recognises their role as custodians of the watershed. For urban residents, it offers a practical way to support the ecosystems that provide their water. For public and private partners, it creates a transparent structure for long-term investment in landscape restoration.

Once fully implemented, the mechanism could generate an estimated £3 million per year for watershed protection and restoration.  

Cochabamba, Bolivia © JC Fotografia/Shutterstock

Local people have played a key role by planting saplings in Tunari National Park, Bolivia © Asociación Armonía.

Designing a Payment for Ecosystem Services mechanism  

Over the past two years, Armonía has worked with municipalities, communities and regional institutions to explore how a PES mechanism could work in the Cochabamba region.

The PES concept is straightforward. Communities living in the upper watershed protect and restore forests that provide essential services such as water regulation, erosion control and biodiversity conservation. Downstream users who benefit from these services contribute financially to support that stewardship.

Through the Accelerator process, Armonía undertook studies, assessments and consultations across the Cochabamba metropolitan area’s seven municipalities. Many residents recognised that protecting the forest is directly linked to their water security. Based on these encouraging results, Armonía and their partners are developing a regional trust fund.  

Cochabamba Mountain-finch © Dubi Shapiro.

Building the institutions behind the mechanism 

The financing system is only one piece of the puzzle – strong governance and community participation are also essential. With FIA support, Armonía is now helping communities develop ten-year sustainable development strategies that identify restoration priorities and income opportunities. A multi-stakeholder platform will oversee the initiative and guide decisions, while the park administration is also receiving support to strengthen monitoring, prevent wildfires and improve co-ordination.  

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A new model for watershed protection 

The work underway in Tunari is about more than planting trees. It’s about building a durable system that links ecological restoration, community leadership and long-term financing. Once the mechanism is operational, it could transform how the Tunari watershed is managed. Instead of relying on intermittent  projects, the region would have a locally supported financing system that rewards stewardship and protects the Kewiña forests that has supported life in the Andes for centuries. 

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