MARKET CLOSE — DECEMBER 4, 2025

New York, New York— December 4, 2025

U.S. markets closed Thursday in a mixed but steady session, with small-cap stocks once again outperforming the major benchmarks. According to end-of-day index data published by INVESTING.COM, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished at 47,850.94, slipping about 0.1%, while the S&P 500 closed at 6,857.12, edging up roughly 0.1%. The Nasdaq Composite ended higher at 23,505.14, up about 0.2%. Small-cap stocks continued their strong run, with the Russell 2000 index rising approximately 0.8% and finishing near 2,531, marking another record close based on the published daily performance tracked by INVESTING.COM.

The major economic driver of the day came from new labor-market data released by the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, which reported that seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims fell to 191,000 for the week ending November 29. This marks the lowest level since late 2022 and reflects a weekly decline of 27,000 from the previous period. The same figure appeared in the Federal Reserve’s data repository as FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS (FRED) posted the identical seasonally adjusted total of 191,000. These releases represent the only first-hand government data published Thursday on labor market conditions.

Another labor-related data point came from CHALLENGER, GRAY & CHRISTMAS, which reported 71,321 planned job cuts in November 2025. November’s total was down significantly from October’s 153,074 announced cuts but remains higher than the figure reported for November 2024. The organization’s cumulative layoffs for 2025 now total nearly 1.2 million. These numbers represent projected corporate layoff announcements and do not reflect government-recorded unemployment levels, which are captured exclusively in the jobless-claims report released by the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.

Company-specific movements added further shape to the trading day. Dollar General shares rose sharply, jumping close to 12% following stronger-than-expected earnings data reported through market-tracking outlets that cite exchange-filed corporate results. Meta Platforms gained around 4% based on reporting that the company intends to reduce spending on its metaverse division next year, as summarized by financial outlets citing internal company planning updates. Meanwhile, Kroger shares declined about 6% after the company reported weaker-than-expected sales performance, and Snowflake fell around 11% after releasing forward-looking margin guidance that concerned investors. Intel also saw losses of roughly 6% after news circulated that the company would retain its networking and communications division following its internal strategic review. All of these movements were based on same-day corporate disclosures and exchange-reported price changes documented by national financial recap services.

Government-bond yields also rose during the session. Financial markets reported the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield hovering near the 4.10% range based on live Treasury-market tracking. Global bond coverage further noted that Japan’s 30-year government bond yield reached approximately 1.94%, described by financial outlets as its highest point since 2007. These figures reflect active market trading data rather than any newly released policy or statement from the FEDERAL RESERVE or the Japanese Ministry of Finance.

Analysts widely attributed Thursday’s muted but steady equity performance to investor positioning ahead of the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy meeting. Several market-coverage summaries noted that investors are watching jobless-claim levels, Treasury yields, and company earnings signals as they attempt to anticipate the next Fed rate decision. However, as of Thursday’s close, no new policy statement, rate guidance, or projection was issued by the FEDERAL RESERVE, meaning all forward-looking commentary came from secondary analysis rather than first-hand sources.

In summary, today’s market saw major indexes move only slightly while small-cap stocks continued to outperform. Labor-market data released directly by the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR showed unemployment claims falling to their lowest level in more than three years. Corporate layoff announcements compiled by CHALLENGER, GRAY & CHRISTMAS remain high but eased sharply from October. Corporate earnings results drove several notable individual stock moves, while rising Treasury yields reflected ongoing market uncertainty ahead of next week’s Federal Reserve meeting. All forward-looking interpretations remain speculative; only the data directly published by first-hand entities is included here.

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Sources

Primary First-Hand Sources (Bolded in Article Text)

• U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR — “Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims,” December 4, 2025 (191,000 seasonally adjusted initial claims).
• FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS (FRED) — Initial Claims [ICSA] series reflecting the same 191,000 weekly figure.
• CHALLENGER, GRAY & CHRISTMAS — November 2025 Job Cuts Report (71,321 announced layoffs).
• INVESTING.COM — Closing index data for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Russell 2000.

Secondary Attribution-Based Sources

• AP national index recap (Thursday’s closing levels and percentage changes).
• Wall Street Journal “Stock Market Today” running coverage (Treasury yields, small-cap record levels, and Japan long-bond data).
• Investopedia “Markets News” summaries (top stock movers: Dollar General, Meta, Kroger, Snowflake, Intel).
• eOption daily market review (index performance and small-cap context).
• Reuters and financial market desks summarizing investor expectations ahead of the next Federal Reserve meeting.