US benchmark equity indexes finished lower on Monday as markets assessed an inflation survey and prepared for the official price data for November, due later this week. US consumers' inflation expectations showed a slight increase across the short-, medium-, and long-term horizons in November, based on a survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Government data are anticipated to indicate that US consumer inflation increased by 0.2% sequentially and 2.7% year-over-year last month, as per a Bloomberg survey. The official producer price report for November is scheduled to be released on Thursday. Oppenheimer Asset Management forecasted that the S&P 500 would conclude 2025 at a level of 7,100, alluding to an approximate 17% growth from Friday's record close, in light of ongoing economic and consumer resilience. Crude oil prices saw an uptick, with January West Texas Intermediate closing up $1.17 at $68.37 per barrel.
Similarly, February Brent crude, the global benchmark, was observed rising $1.10 to $72.22 per barrel. Meanwhile, China is planning to ease monetary policy as its economic situation remains challenging, alongside the recent geopolitical risks stemming from the rapid collapse of Syria's government. In corporate developments, Mondelez International ($MDLZ) is reportedly exploring a potential acquisition of Hershey ($HSY), as disclosed by Bloomberg News, which cited unnamed sources.
Following the news, Hershey's shares surged 11%, while Mondelez experienced a decline of 2.3%. Furthermore, Comcast ($CMCSA) secured long-term agreements to distribute Warner Bros. Discovery ($WBD) content to Xfinity subscribers in the US as well as Sky customers in the UK and Ireland. Initially, Comcast's stock dropped by 9.5%, while shares of Warner Bros.
saw a slight decrease of 0.9%..