Stock Market Today, Dec. 26: S&P Notches New High As Investors Digest Nvidia-Groq Deal

The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC 0.03%) slipped 0.03% to 6,929.94, the Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC 0.09%) eased 0.09% to 23,593.10, and the (DJINDEX: ^DJI) edged down 0.04% to 48,710.96, all cooling slightly after recent highs in thin post‐Christmas trade. Dow Jones Industrial Average Market movers Nvidia ( NVDA +1.09%) ticked higher as investors reacted to its Christmas Eve deal to buy about $20 billion in assets from AI startup Groq. Gains in materials names such as Freeport‐McMoRan ( FCX +2.16%)and Southern Copper ( SCCO +0.94%)versus an almost 6% loss from Standard Lithium ( SLI 5.80%) reflected sharp divergences tied to the powerful precious‐metals rally. What this means for investors While today's final performance was muted, the S&P 500 set a new record in intraday trading as investors returned from the Christmas break. The index is up 2.3% for the week, and there's debate about whether we're about to see a final end-of-year rally or the start of a consolidation phase. Nvidia continued to dominate the news today with more AI-driven gains. 2026 is already being framed as the year of AI, even as commentators warn that it will only take a small negative shock to disrupt momentum. Gold and silver prices set new highs with spot gold nearing $4,550 an ounce and spot silver passing $77 an ounce. Ongoing geopolitical tensions have sparked investor interest in these store-of-value assets. The only question is how long both safe havens and equities will continue to rally.

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