Spot the Markets provides a concise and comprehensive summary of last week’s market performance and future predictions, supported by news, articles and statistics from Barron’s.
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2025
Week of 6th-10th January
Markets started 2025 on a weak note, with the S&P 500 and Dow down 1.9% and the Nasdaq falling 2.3% last week. Volatility is up 13% year-to-date, while gold and European stocks posted gains. L.A. wildfires pressured utilities and insurers, while a strong jobs report pushed bond yields higher. Meta added UFC CEO Dana White to its board, Disney acquired 70% of FuboTV, and Getty Images bought Shutterstock for $3.7 billion. Energy and healthcare sectors are strong, but most equities remain under pressure.
2024
Week of 9th-13th December
Oil rose as Assad fled Syria, and China hinted at looser monetary policy. Nvidia faced a China
antitrust probe, and GM closed its $10B Cruise robo-taxi project. Deals included Omnicom’s $13B
Interpublic buy and Novolex’s $6.7B Pactiv purchase. A judge blocked Kroger’s Albertsons buyout,
prompting a lawsuit.
Week of 2th-6th December
Bitcoin hit $100K as South Korea overturned martial law, and France’s government collapsed.
The U.S. imposed chip bans on China, which retaliated with rare metal export bans. Stellantis CEO Tavares
resigned, and BlackRock agreed to buy HPS for $12B. A judge denied Musk’s $56B pay reinstatement, and
Art Cashin passed away at 83.
Week of 25-29th November
Stocks rose in a short Thanksgiving week as Trump threatened tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and
China. Inflation persisted in October. Goldman Sachs faced a $900M hit from Northvolt’s bankruptcy, while
Amazon doubled its AI investment in Anthropic to $8B. UniCredit bid $10.6B for Banco BPM, and Peabody
Energy bought Anglo American coal assets for $3.78B.
Week of 18th-22nd November
Description: Markets rose as Treasuries, gold, and Bitcoin surged amid geopolitical tensions, with the Dow
up 1.96%. Nvidia beat expectations, but shares fell. TSMC secured $6.6B for its $65B Arizona plant, while
the DOJ pushed to force Alphabet to sell Chrome. Deals included Blackstone’s $8B Jersey Mike’s stake and
AeroVironment’s $4.1B BlueHalo buy.
Week of 11th-15th November
Markets slid as Bitcoin surged past $80K and Powell warned on rate cuts. FTX sued Binance for
$1.8B, and Volkswagen invested $5.8B more in Rivian. Seven & i explored a $58B family-led bid, while Just
Eat sold Grubhub for $650M after a $7B purchase in 2021. Trump nominated Musk and Ramaswamy to
lead a new government efficiency department.
Week of 4th-8th November
Markets soared as Trump’s election win boosted stocks and the Fed cut rates by 0.25%, with
the Nasdaq up 5.7%. Boeing ended its strike, and Nvidia surpassed Apple in market cap, joining the Dow.
Perplexity AI tripled its valuation to $9B in a funding round, while TGI Fridays and Franchise Group filed for
bankruptcy.
Week of 28th-1st November
Markets plunged after a Nasdaq high, with the Dow down 0.15% as Q3 growth hit 2.8% and
October jobs added just 12K. Big Tech earnings beat expectations, but Meta and Microsoft warned on AI
costs. Boeing raised $24B in financing, and Musk’s AI startup sought funding at a $40B valuation. CIAM
opposed Vivendi’s proposed four-way breakup.
Week of 21th-25th October
Markets fell as China cut lending rates and Tesla’s earnings spurred a tech rally. McDonald’s
plunged on an E. coli outbreak, and Boeing workers rejected a 35% pay hike amid $6B in losses. Starboard
Value took a stake in Kenvue, and a judge blocked Tapestry’s $8.5B Capri acquisition on antitrust grounds.
Week of 14th-18th October
Stocks rose as retail data beat expectations, with the Dow up 1%. Nvidia surged on chip
production, while Google and Amazon invested in nuclear reactors for data centers. Netflix and TSMC
reported record profits, but CVS fired its CEO after an earnings warning. TPG and Blackstone considered a
$14B joint bid for Bausch + Lomb.
Week of 7th-11th October
Markets rallied as inflation eased slightly, with the Dow (+1.2%) hitting new highs. Boeing
planned layoffs, and Alphabet faced potential DOJ breakup. Tesla unveiled a robo-taxi, while Richemont
sold Yoox Net-a-Porter in an all-shares deal. Rio Tinto agreed to buy Arcadium Lithium for $6.7B, and
Couche-Tard raised its Seven & i bid to $47.2B.
Week of 30th-4th October
Stocks were volatile as Japan announced a snap election and Iran retaliated against Israel’s
invasion of Lebanon, driving oil prices up. The Dow rose 0.1% as Powell signaled smaller rate cuts. Adnoc
acquired Covestro for $13B, and OpenAI raised $6.6B at a $157B valuation. DirecTV and Dish Network are
set to merge in a TPG-led $10B debt deal.