The US equity markets were mixed following international and domestic economic data releases, including weakness in the UK labor situation, German economic sentiment, and the US NFIB Small Business Optimism Index. Gold and Silver futures were higher while Copper futures fell. ECB President Christine Lagarde noted EU inflation is near the 2% target, stressing a data-dependent monetary policy and the readiness of the ECB to adjust policy. Crude Oil futures were up about 1.1% ahead of the OPEC monthly report, which markets expect to show a modest output increase for December and signal a pause in hikes in Q1 of 2026. The market is highly sensitive to any deviation in the report due to geopolitical risk and demand uncertainty. In political news.