CNBC Business News Update - Market Open: Stocks Mixed, Fewer People Applied For Unemployment Benefits, Last Minute Holiday Shopping Is On 12/24/25

Episode Date: December 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 mixed out of the gate this morning for a half day of trading markets. We'll close at 1 p.m. Eastern on this Christmas Eve day. The Dow in the green up nine points. Nike shares leading it high are they're up 4%. The S&P 500 index up two points building on the record high it opened with. The NASDAQ's in the red this morning down five points. shares of NVIDIA are down a half percent out of the gate. No trading tomorrow on Christmas,

but a full day of trading on Friday. We got unemployment numbers this morning. Continuing unemployment claims popped back up over $1.9 million. These are people who are collecting checks every week suggesting it might be taking longer for them to find the next job. But the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week came in lower than expected at $214,000. 250 is where you start to say, I got to pay attention, up to say 275, where I'm still not worried. And if I started getting closer to 300, I'd be like we have real weakness in the job market. Back to 214, 8,0. But then you get to the 1-9 number on continuing claims.

It's up there towards the top of the range that we've had, but it's not necessarily a worrisome number in and of itself. I think it still says to me, low fire. I get no information from this necessarily about hiring, but we do get some firing stuff. It's a good number. CNBC senior economics reporter Steve Leesman, Nike shares leading that Dow hire, as I mentioned, on news the CEO of Apple is doubling the number of Nike shares. He owns Tim Cook has been on the Nike board for 20 years. On this final shopping day before Christmas, the CNBC All-America Survey finds Americans say they're spending less for the holidays. 50% less this year than last year on dining out, 60% less on gifts.

But SW Retail Advisors, Stacey Whitlitz, says people are saying one thing and doing another. The consumer is always saying, oh, they're cautious. The consumers out there and they're spending and they're spending on full price because what we know is that there are fewer discounts out there. Certainly you hear the consumer's cautious, but what we've seen is there's a lot of full price selling. And she tells CNBC, retailers are hoping for a last minute Christmas sales boost today. At the last minute, everybody's in a panic, and what can I get that small that's maybe not a huge ticket item? So that's Alta, TJX. And of course, that's Walmart because all the last minute items that you need to feed all the guests coming over.

So those are kind of the impulse pickups. Generally, on Christmas Eve, many of the big name retailers do not have late hours tonight. Americans are enjoying the lowest gas prices in four years for their holiday. Rent is lower. not for people already renting, but for people moving. And Deutsche Bank's senior economist, Brett Ryan, tells CNBC, that's all helping to offset higher prices in stores. You have housing CPI rents that are falling, which is a positive.

That's been checking the growth in goods inflation. Goods inflation has been picking up because of the tariffs. Southwest Airlines profits are down more than 40% this year, but it's the top U.S. airline stock. its shares gained more than any other airline. Southwest says its new fees to check bags and fees for assigned seating will generate cash in the new year and investors agree. New in theaters tonight Universal's song sung blue, Sony's Anaconda, and A24's Marty Supreme. Tonight's Christmas Eve powerball jackpot, $1.7 billion. Jessica Eddinger, CNBC.

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