News

US initial jobless claims 199K vs 220K expected

01 Jan 2026
  • Prior was 214K (revised to 215K)
  • Continuing claims 1.866M vs 1.923M prior

The claims numbers over the holidays are highly volatile and subject to large seasonal revisions so they're poor numbers to index from.

The drop over a number of weeks is notable though and is tracking towards the bottom end of this range again. Next week's data will also be highly-subject to holiday seasonality but in early January, watch the numbers.

The US government shutdown made this a tough report to read through but it's tough to see where the Federal Reserve is seeing weakening in the US jobs market based on this chart. Some policymakers argue it's a 'low higher, low firing' economy and that there is some evidence for that but the 'low firing part' seems to be the most definitive, as shown in claims.

For some background, weekly initial jobless claims are released every Thursday at 8:30 am ET by the Department of Labor. They track how many Americans filed for unemployment benefits for the first time. Bill Gross said that if he only had one economic indicator, this would be it as it's the ultimate "high-frequency" pulse check on the US economy. While the monthly Non-Farm Payrolls gets the glory, jobless claims provide a real-time leading indicator.

That said, there is a high 'noise to signal' ratio in the report as holidays and other special factors can cause large weekly distortions. That's why many market watchers prefer to look at four-week moving averages in the report. However when you do that, you tend to end up with the same lags as non-farm payrolls.

So overall, this report is one piece of the puzzle and one that should be watched carefully but taken with a grain of salt, especially around holidays.

In terms of market reaction, USD/JPY is quickly up about 10 pips on the data, an indication the market thinks that this will make the Fed slightly less likely to cut rates further.

This article was written by Adam Button at investinglive.com.

Why Tesla might rip higher again. Also, JPY at the precipice again.

23 Dec 2025
Tesla outlook may be dominated by SpaceX IPO speculation.

Listen to the full episode now or follow the Saxo Market Call on your favorite podcast app.

Today’s Links

Tesla shareholder to get priority access to SpaceX IPO? Bill Ackman wants to help SpaceX go public with a “special purpose acquisition rights” vehicle that would provide Tesla shareholders with prioritized access to the SpaceX shares. Whatever the setup, which given Musk’s desire to avoid the traditional IPO route could be very unusual, if the market gets the sense that Tesla shares can offer early access for the SpaceX IPO, who knows how high Tesla shares might go. (As always, not a recommendation for a course of action!)

More smart money going to cash. I forgot to mention this one on the podcast, but this is another sign of smart money - Apollo Management - getting cautious at these very high levels of risk sentiment and raising cash allocations significantly.

Affordability pressure rules out having children for many. A follow-on article to Mike Green’s viral post on the cost of living with some useful additional illustrations of why Americans are having fewer children than they want to have, if also with a couple of very confusing graphics.

Is half of the global financial system in the shadows and if so, what are the risks? This is an eye-opener on the scale of shadow banking, which is getting its tentacles into ever more business areas, including insurance.

Are we all participating in a huge pyramid scheme? The ugly pension math suggests that somewhere down the road, there will be material selling of equities to fund pension payments as dividends and profit distributions are not sufficient, meaning that we are all involved in a pension pyramid scheme with potentially devastating risks. (PDF download link available on that page)

Even Waymo has a way to go, especially when you turn all the lights out. Waymo is the best-in-class (really only in class in the US, at least) in autonomously driven vehicles, but when the power goes out and stoplights go dark, the rules of the road change, which humans can navigate improvisationally, but autonomous vehicles can’t, at least not yet.

This is ridiculous. We know why - nonetheless, the audacity, as SpaceX is buying a lot of Tesla Cybertrucks.

Chart of the Day - Tesla (TSLA)

I am far from being a Tesla booster, but I am certainly open to the idea that the stock can continue higher if a speculative rush develops on Musk constructing some way of floating SpaceX that prioritizes access for Tesla shareholders. But one gets the feeling that next year is the year that the Autonomous FSD/Cybercab really needs to become operational and see significant deployment. And SpaceX itself has a lot to deliver as well with its Starship platform after its many blowups and unproven status - yet to deliver payloads beyond a tiny fraction of its rated capacity. The year 2026 could prove a critical one where Musk’s companies need to start deliver more in the numerator of the valuation based on a reality/”future fantasy” ratio. In the meantime, remember that Tesla constantly dilutes shareholders with Musk’s ownership in the company rising after the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that his original huge pay package of more than USD 50 billion must stand.

Source: Saxo

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JP 225 forecast: the index entered a downward trend

19 Dec 2025

The JP 225 stock index shifted into a downward trend after falling by 4.5%. The JP 225 forecast for today is negative.

JP 225 forecast: key takeaways

  • Recent data: Japan Industrial Production MoM increased by 1.5%
  • Market impact: the effect for the Japanese equity market is moderately positive

JP 225 fundamental analysis

Japan Industrial Production MoM printed at +1.5% for the month, compared with a forecast of +1.4%, following +2.6% in the previous month. This means industrial output grew slightly faster than expected, although the pace of growth slowed compared with the prior period. Rising production usually signals stronger order inflows, higher capacity utilisation, and an improved chance for companies to deliver solid revenue and profit growth in the coming quarters.

For the JP 225 index, the current data is generally positive. The index includes many large companies linked to industry, technology, supply chains, and exports. For these firms, higher production signals that demand and output remain intact, meaning the baseline profit outlook stays relatively healthy. This can support the index, especially if there is no simultaneous deterioration in orders or foreign trade data.

Japan Industrial Production MoM: https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/industrial-production-mom

JP 225 technical analysis

The JP 225 index trades in a downward trend. The support zone at 50,140.0 has been broken. The nearest resistance is located around 50,855.0. After the support break, the pace of the decline accelerated. The next potential downside target lies near 47,975.0.

Forecast scenarios for the JP 225 price:

  • Bearish scenario: if prices remain below the previously broken support at 50,140.0, the index may fall to 47,975.0
  • Bullish scenario: if resistance at 50,855.0 is broken, prices may rise to 52,655.0
JP 225 technical analysis for 18 December 2025

Summary

The indicator is moderately positive for JP 225, as production is growing and slightly exceeds expectations. However, the slowdown compared with the previous month limits the potential for strong index growth. Confirmation of the trend in upcoming releases will matter more: if production growth stabilises at a sustainable level, it will support JP 225 through expectations of rising corporate profits. The next downside target for JP 225 stands at 52,655.0.

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