5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

Stock futures are ticking lower at the start of another holiday-shortened trading week after major indexes gained ground last week; gold and silver prices stepped back from recent record-high levels; shares of DigitalBridge are soaring after a report that the data center investment firm is in talks to be acquired by Japan’s SoftBank; oil prices are rising as investors weigh geopolitical tensions; and pending home sales data are due this morning. Here's what investors need to know today.

Stock Futures Slip to Start Holiday-Shortened Week

Stock futures are pointing to a slightly lower open this morning after each of the major indexes gained more than 1% last week. Futures tied to the S&P 500 and the tech-focused Nasdaq were recently down 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.1%. Bitcoin was at $87,300, down from an overnight high of just above $90,000. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which can influence a range of consumer loans, was at 4.12% recently, after closing last week at 4.13%. Stock and bond markets will be closed for the New Year’s Day holiday on Thursday.

Gold, Silver Step Back from Record Highs

Gold and silver prices are losing ground today after hitting all-time highs last week. Gold futures were down 1.7% at $4,475 an ounce recently, after rising as high as $4,585 on Friday. Silver futures dropped more than 3% today to $74.65 an ounce. Precious metals have hit a series of record highs this year as investors have turned to safe-haven assets to hedge against inflation, geopolitical turmoil and currency weakness.

DigitalBridge Surges on Report of Takeover Talks with SoftBank

Shares of DigitalBridge (DBRG) are soaring on a report that the data center investment firm is in talks to be acquired by Japanese tech firm SoftBank. Bloomberg reported that SoftBank could announce the deal as early as today. The deal would be the latest instance of SoftBank investing in the infrastructure used to power artificial intelligence, after it linked up with Oracle (ORCL) and OpenAI earlier this year as part of the $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure initiative. Shares of DigitalBridge, which manages a portfolio of digital infrastructure businesses, were up about 30% in recent premarket trading. Coming into Monday's session, the stock had gained 23% so far this year.

Oil Prices Rise on Geopolitical Tensions

Oil prices are rising as geopolitical tensions drive investor concerns over supply levels of the commodity. West Texas Intermediate (WTI)  futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, were up 2.5% at $58.15 per barrel in recent trading. The jump in oil prices comes as a meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymr Zelenskyy failed to lead to agreement on a peace plan for the war in Ukraine. Political tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have also helped push oil prices higher.

Pending Home Sales Data Due This Morning

A report on November pending home sales, set for release today at 10 a.m. ET today, is among the few economic data releases scheduled during the holiday-shortened week. The housing market has been stagnant due to high home prices and elevated mortgage rates.  Tomorrow’s release of the minutes for the December meeting of the Federal Reserve will give market watchers insight into how central bankers view the economy as they contemplate additional interest rate cuts. Home pricing data and weekly jobless claims are also on tap this week.

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