CNBC Business News Update - Market Open: Stocks Higher, Economy Called "Uncertain," Bessent Says No Recession In 2026 11/24/25

Episode Date: November 24, 2025

From Wall Street to Main Street, the latest on the markets and what it means for your money. Updated regularly on weekdays, featuring CNBC expert analysis and sound from top business newsmakers. Anchored and reported by CNBC's Jessica Ettinger. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Jessica Eddinger, CNBC. Wall Street's in the green this afternoon with the Dow up 307 points. Merck shares have been leading it higher. They're up 4%. The S&P 500 index up 105 points. That's 1.5%. NASDAQ up 582 points this afternoon. That's 2.5%.

Shares of Nvidia, which were lower earlier, are higher this afternoon. They're now up more than. 2%. Companies whose shares have hit fresh all-time highs today include Google Parent Alphabet, Monster Beverage, Ralph Lauren, Travelers, Cardinal Health, and Eli Lilly. Some believe that the economy, though, is uncertain. Uncertainty is the word I would use. When you have policy that's driving in an inflationary direction at a time when the deficit is as large as it is and growing and the tariffs distorting so much that's going on in our economy, it's hard to say I'm comfortable. I'm not of the view that we're about to go over a cliff, but a shock could come and we're not well-poised to handle a shot.

That's former Treasury Secretary Jack Liu on CNBC today. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said yesterday the U.S. is not at risk of a recession next year, but he told NBC's meet the press that there are parts of the economy showing signs of struggle. including housing. Besant also said an announcement on health care will be coming shortly. President Trump has said that he hopes to secure a plan by January 30th to address the coming surge and health care premiums caused by subsidies that expire at the end of this year. And yes, it is going to be a campaign issue for 2026. That's CNBC's Becky Quick.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said yesterday that the fourth quarter economic data will likely be weak because of the government shutdown. Did you realize you're paying 30% more just for a car? You take a look at what's happened with auto prices. Everybody knows that they've gone up, but I'm not sure they appreciate just how much they have gone up. We've asked Cox Automotive to calculate the average transaction price, starting in October of this year,

going all the way back to 2018. In October, the average transaction price. This is the average paid in the dealership, not MSRP, was just under $50,000. That's roughly $11,000 more than what we saw back in 2018 before the pandemic, an increase of 29.5%. CNBC's Phil LeBoe. Dividend investors worried about their income.

The S&P 500 now has the lowest dividend yield since the dot-com bubble. The yield at 1.1%. That's approaching its lowest in 50 years, according to trivariate research. President Trump's Doge, Department of government efficiency appears to be gone. It's been disbanded with eight months left on its official charter. The head of the Office of Personnel Management tells Reuters it no longer exists. Universal's Wicked for Good with a strong showing at the box office over the weekend for the biggest debut in history for a Broadway adaptation. The movie was second only to a Minecraft movie from

last April for a general weekend debut. Thanksgiving week is here, including the travel period, severe weather, possibly impacting Americans tonight into Wednesday. Tonight's powerball jackpot more than a half billion at $654 million, no winner over the weekend. Jessica Eddinger, CNBC. Join the club with Jim's best deal of the year at CNBC.com slash club Black Friday. Terms and restrictions apply.