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Wall Street Holds Steady as S&P 500 Hits Record Ahead of Christmas Break

Market Snapshot – December 24, 2025 Dow Jones Futures: Flat at 48,735 points S&P 500 Futures: Near 6,957 points, little changed after Tuesday’s record close Nasdaq 100 Futures: Slight dip of 0.1% to 25,796.5 points S&P 500 Index: Closed Tuesday at 6,909, its latest all-time high Key Drivers Robust economic growth continues to fuel investor optimism. Seasonal “Santa Claus rally” has lifted stocks for four consecutive sessions. Markets will close early today at 1 p.m. EST and remain shut tomorrow for Christmas Day. Traders remain cautious about inflation and potential Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2026. Quick Take Wall Street enters the holiday season on a high note, with the S&P 500 near the 7,000 mark and futures showing little movement. The shortened trading session means liquidity will be thin, amplifying small moves. Still, the overall tone remains upbeat, with investors betting that the year-end rally will carry into the final days of 2025.

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Hunter Biden's Legal Troubles and Presidential Pardon

 

Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, faced legal issues related to firearms and tax convictions. In June 2024, he was convicted of lying on a federal form when purchasing a gun in 2018, falsely stating that he was not a drug user. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes for the years 2016 to 2019. These charges stemmed from a period in his life when he struggled with drug and alcohol abuse before becoming sober in 2019.

Despite previously pledging not to use his presidential authority to grant clemency to his son, President Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for Hunter Biden on December 1, 2024. This pardon not only covered the gun and tax offenses but also any other federal offenses Hunter Biden may have committed from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024. President Biden justified his decision by stating that raw politics had infected the legal process, leading to a miscarriage of justice.

A presidential pardon is an expression of forgiveness granted by the President of the United States for federal criminal offenses. The power to pardon is derived from Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which allows the president to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. A pardon forgives federal criminal offenses and exempts the individual from punishment, but it does not signify innocence.



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