As we head into mid month December and what looks to be a shaky week, it is timely to look back at last week’s US economic reports to see where US economy is heading. Like it or not, there is “synergy” between the US economy and stock market. Jobs Opening and Labour Turnover surveys (JOLTs) The delayed JOLTs report for October 2025 was finally out. (see below) Job Openings were basically unchanged at 7.7 million, that was slightly better than market expectations. However, this headline strength masked signs of a cooling labor market: Weakening Worker Confidence: The most telling figure was Quits rate, that held steady at 1.8%, its lowest level since May 2020. This signals that workers are less confident in their ability to easily switch jobs for better pay or opportunities. Rising Layoffs:

As we head into mid month December and what looks to be a shaky week, it is timely to look back at last week’s US economic reports to see where US economy is heading. Like it or not, there is “synergy” between the US economy and stock market. Jobs Opening and Labour Turnover surveys (JOLTs) The delayed JOLTs report for October 2025 was finally out. (see below) Job Openings were basically unchanged at 7.7 million, that was slightly better than market expectations. However, this headline strength masked signs of a cooling labor market: Weakening Worker Confidence: The most telling figure was Quits rate, that held steady at 1.8%, its lowest level since May 2020. This signals that workers are less confident in their ability to easily switch jobs for better pay or opportunities. Rising Layoffs:

It’s been a while since I last covered oil stocks. It is time for a revisit. OPEC Meeting. On 30 Nov 2025, the OPEC+ members held their planned meeting. Consensus from the meeting is OPEC+ will be to pause planned increases in oil production for Q1 2026. The tactical move that follows a modest 137,000 bpd increase implemented in December 2025, is a defensive measure to (a) counteract potential seasonal demand weakness and (b) a projected global supply glut. Another key long-term takeaway was the formal approval of a new mechanism to assess member countries' maximum sustainable production capacity (MSC). Starting in early 2026, this technical assessment will serve as the baseline for setting output quotas for 2027 and beyond, aiming for a fairer and more transparent distribution of producti

Recently, US stocks that are remotely AI-related have taken a significant beating. This has been driven by a combination of factors, primarily centered on: Concerns over frothy valuations. Fear of an "AI bubble" bursting. Actually, as early as 12 Jan 2025, a Motley Fool post by James Brumley titled “Nvidia Became One of the Largest Companies by Market Cap in 2024. Will Its Reign Continue in 2025?”, questioned AI chip leader - $NVIDIA(NVDA)$’s high trading multiples: Of more than 50x its current profit. Of more than over 30x its estimated 2026 profit. The early warnings have largely been “ignored” simply because there is money to be made; not to mention NVDA CEO Jensen Huang active engagement with David Sacks, who serves as White House AI and Crypt