Podcast Summary: Squawk Pod — 5 Things to Know Before the Opening Bell (12/24/2025)
Podcast: Squawk Pod
Date: December 24, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Joe Kernen
Episode Theme: Pre-market highlights and lighthearted conversation on financial headlines and happenings ahead of the Christmas Eve trading session.
Episode Overview
This episode of Squawk Pod distills the five most important news items for investors to watch before the opening bell on December 24th, 2025. Andrew Ross Sorkin and Joe Kernen cover surging metals prices, tech and IPO news, a Supreme Court decision with political implications, and the soaring Powerball jackpot. The tone moves fluidly from factual and analytical to bantering, especially around the lottery segment.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Record-Breaking Run in Precious Metals
- Gold: Closes at its 53rd record high for the year.
- Silver: Hits its 16th record close of 2025.
- Quote: “Metals trading higher. We're coming off the 53rd record close for gold this year and silver 16th record close of 2025.” — Andrew Sorkin [01:10]
- Context: The rise signals strong commodity demand and inflationary or geopolitical undercurrents.
2. Waymo’s Response to Self-Driving Car Outages
- Event: After a multi-car outage in San Francisco during a blackout, Waymo is upgrading its vehicles’ ability to respond.
- Quote: “Alphabet owned driverless car company Waymo… updating its fleet of vehicles so that they're better prepared to respond to outages. Video shared on social media appeared to show multiple Waymo cars stalled in traffic…” — Andrew Sorkin [01:22]
- Takeaway: Tech companies face real scrutiny as real-world glitches in autonomous vehicles go viral.
3. Motive (Alphabet-Backed): Upcoming IPO Announcement
- Company: Motive (corporate fleet management software), to file for NYSE IPO under ticker 'MTV' next year.
- Quote: “Motive is the name of the company. It's going to seek to go public next year under the ticker symbol MTV.” — Andrew Sorkin [01:42]
- Significance: Highlights IPO pipeline activity ahead of 2026 and Big Tech’s continued expansion into logistics.
4. Supreme Court Ruling on National Guard Deployment
- Event: The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s effort to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, pending further legal review.
- Quote: “The Supreme Court temporarily rejecting the Trump administration's bid to overhaul a lower court in and allow the deployment of the National Guard troops to Chicago.” — Andrew Sorkin [01:48]
- Analysis: Reflects ongoing legal and political tensions surrounding federal authority and state autonomy.
5. Powerball Jackpot Soars — Banter on Lottery Odds
- Powerball: Jackpot now at $1.7 billion; cash option is $780 million.
- Quote: “A lucky lottery player could have a very merry Christmas. Tonight's Powerball jackpot growing to an estimated $1.7 billion. That's with a B.” — Andrew Sorkin [01:54]
- Banter Segment (Key Quotes & Moments):
- Sorkin (sarcastically): “A couple bucks will buy you a dream… got to pay tax on. I guess you do have to pay tax on that.”
- Kernen (joking): “I don't want to go buy a bag of potato chips and get killed when the vending machine falls on me because that's a thousand times more likely to get killed by a vending machine falling on you than you are to win.” [02:28]
- Sorkin: “I tried to buy it with a credit card and I forgot… it's illegal to buy a lottery ticket with a credit card… social policy issue.” [02:46]
- Kernen: “It's a tax on the stupid.” [03:13]
- Insight: The segment mixes probability humor with brief commentary on lottery policy (no credit card purchases permitted), making a sociological point about gambling and dreams.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On the Odds of Winning Powerball:
- “That's a thousand times more likely to get killed by a vending machine falling on you than you are to win.” — Joe Kernen [02:28]
- On Lottery Ticket Purchases:
- “I tried to buy it with a credit card… it's illegal to buy a lottery ticket with a credit card… They don't want people creating debt to buy lottery tickets, which is interesting. Duh. You have to use cash.” — Andrew Sorkin [02:46]
- Blunt Take:
- “It's a tax on the stupid.” — Joe Kernen [03:13]
- Philosophy on Dreaming:
- “You could have the same dream without paying. But it makes the dream feel so much closer.” — Andrew Sorkin [03:17]
Important Segment Timestamps
- Start of Core Content / Daily Brief: [01:02]
- Gold and Silver Record Closes: [01:10]
- Waymo Autonomous Car Update: [01:22]
- Motive IPO Announcement: [01:42]
- Supreme Court on National Guard in Chicago: [01:48]
- Powerball Jackpot, Lottery Banter Begins: [01:54]
- Humorous Vending Machine Odds Commentary: [02:28]
- Discussion about Lottery Ticket Cash Purchase Requirement: [02:46]
- “Tax on the stupid” Quote: [03:13]
- Segment Wrap/Conclusion: [03:45]
Tone & Style
- Blend of serious, fact-based market reporting and breezy, sometimes acerbic humor.
- Banter is typical of Squawk Box — direct, even sardonic, but engaging and accessible.
Summary for Listeners:
If you missed this quick-hit recap, you’d want to know that it covers metals’ record highs, a big upcoming tech IPO, regulatory and legal news about National Guard deployment, and a record lottery jackpot. But it’s the lottery banter that gives this holiday episode special flavor, with Sorkin and Kernen sparring about the (very) long odds of overnight fortune — and why you shouldn’t buy that ticket on credit.