US Equity Indexes Rise Amid Mixed Q3 GDP, US Durable Goods Orders

01:39 PM EST, 12/23/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes rose in midday trading on Tuesday amid mixed macroeconomic data.

The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.4% to 23,510.3, with the S&P 500 up 0.4% to 6,902.8 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.2% higher at 48,476.1. Energy was among the top gainers, while real estate and consumer staples led the decliners.

In economic news, the US economy grew at an annual rate of 4.3% in Q3, the fastest pace in two years, amid robust consumer spending, according to an initial estimate released Tuesday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The consensus was for 3.3% jump in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The GDP growth was 3.8% in the June quarter.

"The headline figures are impressive, and they suggest that productivity growth surged in Q3, with payrolls up only +33k during the quarter, but these numbers are difficult to trust," Jefferies Chief US Economist Thomas Simons said in a note.

Jefferies economists now expect Q4 GDP to be up only about 0.5%, "down from +1.7% coming into today. There is also substantial risk of a negative print," according to the research note.

Meanwhile, demand for US durable goods fell by 2.2% month-on-month to about $307.38 billion in October from a gain of 0.7% in September, the Census Bureau said. The consensus was for a 1.5% decline, as per a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

The Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence declined to 89.1 in December from 92.9 in November, below the 91.0 reading expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.

"Despite an upward revision in November related to the end of the shutdown, consumer confidence fell again in December and remained well below this year's January peak," said Dana Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board.

Holiday spending in the US rose at a slower pace in 2025 than last year, preliminary data from Visa (V) showed Tuesday.

Retail spending for the holiday season increased 4.2% year over year across all forms of payment, the retail spend monitor report from Visa Consulting & Analytics said. That's below the 4.8% annual gain recorded in 2024. The report analyzes retail sales activity over seven weeks beginning Nov. 1.

US Treasury yields were mixed, with the two-year higher by 3.7 basis points to 3.54%. The 10-year yield leaned lower by less than one basis point to 4.17%.

In company news, ServiceNow (NOW) agreed to acquire cybersecurity startup Armis for $7.75 billion in cash, a deal that the company expects will more than triple its opportunity in the security and risk solutions market.

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