Wall Street Ends November Higher Amid Fed Optimism/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ U.S. stocks rose modestly on the final trading day of November, extending a four-day rally. Optimism about potential Federal Reserve rate cuts helped lift the market, with tech stocks mostly gaining. The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all posted increases despite earlier disruptions in futures trading.
November Market Recap Quick Looks
- S&P 500 rose 0.2%, avoiding first monthly loss since April
- Dow Jones climbed 138 points, buoyed by tech and energy
- Nasdaq advanced 0.3%, driven by bitcoin rally and chip stocks
- Coinbase gained 3.6% as bitcoin surged above $92,000
- Meta (+1.4%) and Micron (+2.8%) led tech advances
- Nvidia dropped 1%, down double-digits for the month
- Fed rate cut speculation fuels optimism for December
- CME futures trading halted temporarily due to data center outage
- Treasury 10-year yield stable at 4.01%
- Global Markets: Germany’s DAX, Britain’s FTSE 100, and France’s CAC 40 all ticked higher
Deep Look: U.S. Markets Rise to Close Out November Strong
On the final trading day of November, U.S. stocks moved higher, capping a four-day winning streak as investors grew increasingly optimistic about the Federal Reserve’s direction on interest rates. Despite a rocky start to the month and technical disruptions earlier in the day, the markets ended on a hopeful note.
Major Index Movements
The S&P 500 added 0.2%, coming just in time to avoid what would have been its first monthly decline since April. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 138 points, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3%, supported by gains in major tech names and a sharp rebound in cryptocurrency prices.
The Thanksgiving week rally offered a boost to equities, helped by cooling inflation data and growing speculation that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates in December. According to CME Group’s FedWatch tool, traders now see an 87% chance of a rate cut when the Fed’s two-day meeting concludes on December 10.
Tech and Crypto Make Waves
Coinbase Global surged 3.6% after bitcoin jumped above $92,000, rebounding strongly from last week’s dip to $81,000. Despite the surge, bitcoin remains well below its record high of approximately $125,000 reached in early October.
Among big tech names:
- Meta Platforms rose 1.4%
- Micron Technology climbed 2.8%
- Nvidia, despite recent success, fell 1% and faces a double-digit loss for November
- Oracle also declined 2.3%, continuing its challenging month
Investors appear to be reassessing AI-driven tech valuations, causing volatility in high-growth sectors that had previously led the market.
Trading Disruption: Futures Temporarily Halted
Before the U.S. market open, futures trading for the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq was halted for several hours due to a technical issue tied to a CyrusOne data center outage. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) confirmed the cause and resumed operations later in the morning. The glitch did not affect regular trading hours on Wall Street, which closed early at 1 p.m. ET due to the Thanksgiving holiday schedule.
Fed Policy and Economic Uncertainty
The Fed has already cut interest rates twice in 2025 to stabilize a softening labor market. However, it faces a tricky balancing act: further rate cuts may support employment but risk reigniting inflation.
Recent Fed minutes from the October meeting revealed deep divisions among policymakers, highlighting the uncertainty ahead. Though corporate earnings have mostly impressed, broader economic data has been inconsistent.
Treasury Yields and International Highlights
The 10-year Treasury yield remained steady at 4.01%, reflecting tempered investor expectations for inflation and economic growth.
Globally, stock markets also experienced mild gains:
- Germany’s DAX rose 0.3%, as traders awaited inflation data
- Britain’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.3%, led by energy and mining stocks
- France’s CAC 40 gained 0.2%
- Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.2% to 50,253.91 — boosted by a surprise 3.2% increase in housing starts in October
- South Korea’s Kospi, however, dropped 1.5% due to weaker industrial output, which fell 4% month-over-month in October
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