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Stock Market Live December 23: S&P 500 (VOO) Pops on Strong GDP Report

By Joel South · Updated Dec 23, 12:12pm ET · Published Dec 23, 9:20am ET

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Everybody in the Pool

It’s a curious time of year to do it, but CFRA upgraded shares of swimming pool supplies company Pool Corporation (Nasdaq: POOL) to buy with a $304 price target today. We don’t have a lot of detail on why CFRA decided to upgrade, or why today, but we note that the stock looks reasonably priced at just 21 times trailing earnings, and Pool pays a 2.1% dividend yield.

Investors don’t seem to care about that, though. Pool stock is down 0.7% today, while the Voo is once again up 0.3%.

Bad News for Pfizer?

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) stock is flat this morning, but perhaps not for long.

Endpoints News reports that a patient in Pfizer’s hemophilia drug Hympavzi trial has died from thrombotic stroke. The working theory is that a clot may have caused the stroke, and if the drug caused the clot, well, that won’t be good for Hympavzi’s prospects — or for Pfizer’s either.

Details are few and far between for now, but we’ll keep an eye on developments.

Try Levi's On for Size

What would you like for Christmas? Raymond James analyst Rick Patel hopes it’s a new pair of blue jeans, as he initiates coverage on Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE: LEVI) with an outperform rating and a $26 price target.

“A storied brand with denim roots,” Patel says Levi stock can grow “mid-single-digits-percent” and expand its profit margins to drive earnings growth. The analyst see earnings growing “at least high-single-digit percent” over the next year, noting that this is not exactly news as “our estimates are in line with consensus.”

Investors seem to think no news is good news, though, and Levi stock is up 1.5% this morning. (The Voo has given up almost all its gains already, and is now basically flat against Monday’s close).

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The story so far

This article will be updated throughout the day, so check back often for more daily updates.

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) is up 0.5% premarket on some surprisingly good economic news. The U.S. Department of Commerce says the economy grew 4.3% year over year in the third quarter of 2025, more than a full percentage point above economists’ prediction of 3.2% growth.

Granted, this news arrives later than expected, having been delayed by the government shutdown. Granted, too, the news covers only the period from July to September, before the government went into effect (and presumably slowed the economy significantly).

Still, it’s good news, and investors are treating it as such.

Commerce also noted that consumer spending grew 3.5% in Q3, improving from a 2.5% rate in Q2. Increases in exports and government spending (don’t expect that to repeat in Q4) contributed to the growth.

On the negative side, we learned today that the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, which the Fed uses most of all to gauge inflation, rose 2.8% in Q3, faster than the expected 2.1% rate. Core PCE rose 2.9%, more than the 2.6% expected.

What does all of this mean for the stock market? Caveats aside, the data seem to suggest a stronger economy and higher inflation, both factors that would tend to take away arguments for the Fed continuing to cut interest rates. And seeing as lower interest rates are what investors want most of all for Christmas… my prediction would be that the 0.5% uptick on the Voo today will not last long.

Silver and gold

Ahead of the Commerce report Tuesday, silver and gold prices both hit new all-time highs — something you’d also expect to see if inflation is a worry. Silver prices hit $70.635 per ounce intraday, and gold prices rose as high as $4,530.80 per ounce.

Premarket today, silver is trading for $70.46, and gold is fetching $4,504.30, both down a bit from yesterday’s record, albeit intraday, prices.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Joel South

Joel South covers large-cap stocks, dividend investing, and major market trends, with a focus on earnings analysis, valuation, and turning complex data into actionable insights for investors.

He brings more than 15 years of experience as an investor and financial journalist, including 12 years at The Motley Fool, where he served as an investment analyst, Bureau Chief, and later led the Fool.com investing news desk. He has also co-hosted an investing podcast and appeared across TV and radio discussing market trends.

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