U.S. stocks experienced a slight decline on Tuesday as Wall Street sought to stabilize following a technology-driven downturn that marked the final stretch of 2025. The tech-centric Nasdaq Composite fell by 0.2%, while the S&P 500 saw a minor drop of 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is composed of blue-chip stocks, also decreased by 0.2%.
This decline represents the third consecutive day of losses for major indices, primarily driven by leading tech giants such as Nvidia and Tesla, which saw significant sell-offs on Monday amid a small rotation away from technology stocks. Market participants are currently reassessing their positions and potentially taking profits as the year comes to a close.
In a contrasting trend, precious metals staged a recovery following a particularly challenging day in the market. Silver futures surged over 7% on Tuesday morning after experiencing their largest single-day drop in more than five years. Similarly, gold futures increased by approximately 1.3%.
The latest minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting revealed a divergence of opinions among the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members regarding their recent decision to cut interest rates. The document emphasized that a sustained reduction in inflation would be necessary for further rate cuts to be considered. “Most participants judged that further downward adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate would likely be appropriate if inflation declined over time as expected,” stated the minutes.
Currently, about 84% of market participants predict that the Fed will maintain the current interest rate levels in the upcoming month, though opinions remain divided regarding potential actions in March.
Despite the slight downturn in stock prices, the rebound in precious metals offers a glimpse of resilience in certain market segments, reflecting a complex but dynamic economic landscape.