AI Stocks and Gold and Silver Power Ahead as Year's End Approaches

Barry Adams
22 Dec, 2025
New York City

U.S. stocks edged higher at the start of the holiday-shortened week as artificial intelligence-linked stocks rebounded last week. 

The S&P 500 index edged up 0.1%, the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.2%, and gold and silver inched further into record territory. 

Investors are hoping that the so-called Magnificent 7 will retain leadership as the year-end approaches and relatively cheaper sectors of the market remain in favor. 

On the economic front, the uneven U.S. hirings in October and November confirmed the ongoing pattern over the last seven months, as businesses of all sizes struggle with macroeconomic uncertainty. 

The U.S. economy added 64,000 net new jobs in November, and payrolls shrank by 105,000 in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday. 

However, skeptical investors questioned the reliability of the jobs data amid low survey participation, and economists signaled sharp downward revisions in the near future.  

The payroll data, when viewed in a broader context, reveals a significantly weaker job market than the monthly data indicates. 

The so-called K-shaped economy has also put investors on alert amid a brewing affordability crisis as goods prices continue to rise and wages lag overall inflation. 

Global markets are likely to lack direction as investors prepare for the year-end and the U.S. federal government closes for extra Christmas holidays between December 24 and 26.  

Despite the stock market indexes hovering near record highs, gold and silver rebounded after two weeks of sideways trading. 

The governments of the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Japan, and China have accumulated outsized debts, and the debt levels are expected to continue to rise in 2026. 

Moreover, central banks of China and Japan and a select few European Union nations are actively lowering their U.S. Treasury holdings and increasing exposure to gold. 

This week investors are awaiting the release of delayed economic reports on durable goods orders, industrial output, and the second estimate of the third-quarter GDP. 

The New York Stock Exchange will close early at 1:00 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve, while market operations will be suspended Thursday for Christmas Day and reopen regular trading hours on Monday, December 29.