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When the holidays start to feel a bit repetitive, reach for a Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry and put your twist on tradition. A bold cranberry and winter spice flavor fusion Sprite Winter Spice Cranberry is a refreshing way to shake things up this sipping season and only for a limited time. Sprite obey your thirst. 2025 brought controversy in the form of quote, good jeans, Uncle Herschel and bags that don't fly free. Which brands took hit this year, which covered and which are still finding their way? New developments in Paramount hostile bid for Warner Brothers discovery Larry Ellison says he's good for the money and a Santa Claus rally. What is it exactly and will we get one? We break it down here for Monday, December 22nd. It's blue markets Daily. And I'm Ann Berry. More market details to come. But first, it's the time of year where we keep hearing about a Santa Claus rally. So what is it and will we get one? Well, the Santa Claus rally is a term that describes a historical tendency for markets to rise during the final days of December and the very beginning of January. Specifically, it usually refers to the last five trading days of the year. So we're hitting that time imminently on Christmas Eve. Plus it includes the first two trading days of the brand new year. Now during that narrow window, stocks and particularly the major indices have often delivered positive returns. The term was coined back in the 1970s. And over the decades, market data has shown that this period has leaned bullish more often than not, 79 of the time since 1950, in fact, with the S P 500 averaging a 1.3% gain in that seven day trading window. So that's not every single year, but it's certainly often enough that investors pay attention. So the question is, why does this happen? Well, there are a few theories. First, holiday optimism. Investors just tend to be more upbeat around year end and that positive sentiment can translate into buying. Second, lighter trading volume. Many large institutional investors are already out on vacation, which can make it easier for smaller amounts of buying to push prices higher. Third year end portfolio adjustments. Some investors sell losing stocks earlier in December for tax reasons. That's a phenomenon that's called tax loss harvesting we've talked about here on the show. And then they buy back into the market as the new year begins. And finally, there's sort of psychology or self fulfilling prophecies. That's when people expect a rally because they look at the historical trend for there to be one, for example, and that helps their actions create the actual outcome itself. Now, again, A Santa Claus rally is not guaranteed. Some years it doesn't happen at all, especially during periods of high inflation, recession fears or major global uncertainty. In fact, market watchers sometimes say that when Santa doesn't show up, it can be a warning sign for a tougher year ahead. Although last year there was a Santa Claus sell off with the major indices dropping around half a percent. And yet look at the year we have had since. So the Santa Claus rally isn't magic and Santa doesn't always deliver. But Wall street still checks the chimney every year. Coming up, American Eagle's denim ad campaign had everyone talking. This year we explore if the stock thought it was worth the backlash. And Paramount's hostile bid just got personal, where billionaire Larry Ellison put his own money on the line. But first, a word from our sponsor, Vanguard. Just John, which do you prefer, steady or high risk? High rewards approaches.
