US Equity Markets Lower Ahead of Fed's Decision on Interest Rates

03:59 PM EST, 12/08/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes closed lower Monday as government bond yields rose and investors awaited the Fed's upcoming decision on interest rates.

* Ahead of the Fed meeting, the current chances of the Federal Open Market Committee announcing a 25-basis-point reduction in interest rates on Wednesday are 89.4%, up from 86.2% on Friday, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

* Updated nonfarm payroll data for October and November will be released Dec. 16. The Consumer Price Index is also scheduled for that day, following the Federal Reserve's policy decision, Scotiabank said Friday.

* January West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $1.28 to settle at $58.80 per barrel, while February Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.32 at $62.43.

* Paramount Skydance (PSKY) launched a hostile $30-per-share bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) , calling it a "superior" and more certain alternative to Netflix's (NFLX) recent offer. Paramount gained nearly 9.3% and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rose about 4.2%, whereas Netflix (NFLX) shares fell close to 3.6%.

* Air Products & Chemicals (APD) is in discussions with Yara International on potential partnerships for low-emission ammonia projects in Louisiana and Saudi Arabia, the companies said Monday. Shares of Air Products dropped roughly 10%.

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