Latest Industry Trends News
U.S. Rig Count Surges 33% in December 2025, Reversing Long-Term Decline
The U.S. rig count climbed from 412 in August 2025 to 549 in December, a 33% surge driven by policy incentives like the 'Big Beautiful Bill' and efficiency gains. This signals renewed confidence in oil production and impacts sector rotations, benefiting energy stocks such as Chevron and Exxon while influencing consumer durables and airlines sectors.
Global Trade Resilient Amid AI Boom and Evolving Tariffs
Despite trade policy uncertainties, global trade growth is expected to be +3.5% in 2025, supported by AI-related sector outperformance and global economic resilience. Softening trade growth forecast for 2026 is partly due to slower Asian exports, though ongoing trade negotiations with the EU, India, and ASEAN offer prospects for trade diversification.
Manufacturing Contracts While Services Expand in U.S. Economy
The U.S. manufacturing PMI fell to 48.2, indicating contraction due to weak new orders and employment declines, whereas the ISM Services PMI rose to 52.6, driven by stronger business activity and new orders. Inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target with employment in services still contracting albeit with improved backlogs and delivery times.
U.S. Stock Markets Rally on Technology, Energy, and Consumer Optimism
Retail and consumer discretionary stocks led gains due to positive holiday season spending outlooks. Technology stocks maintained strength with ongoing AI, cybersecurity demand, while energy equities recovered on stable crude prices. The financial sector also benefited from improved credit conditions and rising Treasury yields.
Natural Gas Surges Over 10% Boosting Energy Sector Trends
Natural gas experienced a 10.04% rally, continuing an explosive upward trend in futures markets. While crude oil and refined products showed gains, their trends were less consistent, indicating uneven trend exposure across the energy sector.
Holiday Shopping Season Sets Records Amid Affordability Challenges
US shoppers spent $44.2 billion during Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, an 8.8% increase year-over-year driven partly by AI influence on 20% of orders. Despite this, affordability pressures and increased 'buy now, pay later' credit usage were noted, alongside trade-down spending behavior affecting some income groups.
Global Green Economy Exceeds $5 Trillion, Projected to Surpass $7 Trillion by 2030
Rapid renewable energy growth and strong investment momentum have expanded the global green economy beyond $5 trillion. Climate adaptation and resilience markets are gaining importance, with climate analytics expected to grow 25-30% annually, reflecting growing severity and prevalence of climate impacts worldwide.
Central Banks Preparing for Key Policy Decisions Amid Economic Softening
Eight central banks are scheduled for policy announcements; softening growth, tighter immigration policies, and residual dollar strength weigh on the global economy. AI-related investments conceal underlying economic softness, with free cash flow and valuations expected to moderate from prior exponential gains.
Emerging Markets See Mixed Equity Performances Amid Global Liquidity
Emerging market indices show varied results, with South Korea’s Kospi up 4.4% and China’s Shanghai Exchange modestly positive, while Brazil and Mexico indices declined slightly. Global liquidity supports loose financial conditions, though concerns about short-term government borrowing costs in the UK and Japan persist.
Technology and AI Investments Anchor Market Confidence Heading into 2026
Despite mixed economic data, investor confidence remains anchored by strong technology sector fundamentals driven by AI, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure demand. Long-term revenue prospects and strong balance sheets underpin continued interest in tech stocks even amid rising yields.