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EU officials say the European Commission is considering a second version of the Security in Europe (SAFE) loan program for defense projects.

On December 12th, analyst Matt Grossman stated that some Fed watchers had previously worried that Fed governors aligned with Trump might try to block the reappointment of some regional Fed presidents to new five-year terms, thereby helping the White House gain more influence on the Fed's policy committee. The Fed said on Thursday that the reappointments of 11 of these individuals had been processed, eliminating the risk that the White House might push for the appointment of presidents more aligned with its own stance at the regional Fed. Atlanta Fed President Rafael Bostic was not reappointed because he is about to retire. Bostic announced his retirement plans last month; some watchers believe his prospects for continued service were overshadowed by his disclosure three years ago of non-compliance with rules regarding senior officials' personal financial transactions.

Sources say the founder of Lululemon (LULU.O) has recently contacted advisors to discuss a potential battle for agency rights.

Foreign central banks held $5.429 billion in U.S. Treasury securities in the week ending December 5, compared with $3.829 billion in the previous week.

Broadcom (AVGO.O) shares rose 4% in after-hours trading.

Broadcom (AVGO.O): Expects AI semiconductor revenue to double year-over-year, reaching $8.2 billion.

On December 12th, Investinglive analyst Adam Button stated that while the Federal Reserve's announcement of the reappointment of 11 regional Fed presidents is largely a formality, the Fed Board of Governors does indeed have a say in the appointment of these regional presidents. Regardless, all regional Fed presidents were unanimously approved for a five-year term. If Trump gains control of the Fed Board, and these governors can further influence the appointment of regional Fed presidents, then the controversy could be much greater. This would undoubtedly trigger real drama. In short, this matter can be safely ignored for the next five years.

Calvin McDonald, CEO of Lululemon (LULU.O), has resigned.

Lululemon (LULU.O) shares rose 7% after the earnings report was released.

Lululemon (LULU.O) expects its fourth-quarter revenue to be between $3.5 billion and $3.59 billion.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 646.26 points, or 1.34%, to close at 48,704.01 on Thursday, December 11; the S&P 500 rose 14.31 points, or 0.21%, to close at 6,900.99; and the Nasdaq Composite fell 60.30 points, or 0.25%, to close at 23,593.86.

The Federal Reserve Board of Governors unanimously voted to reappoint 11 presidents of the Federal Reserve Banks for five-year terms, beginning March 1st of next year. Atlanta Fed President Bostic had previously announced that he would retire when his term ended in February of next year.

December 12th - According to data from Cox Automotiv, despite Tesla (TSLA.O) launching a cheaper version of its best-selling electric car, the company's sales in the US fell to their lowest level in nearly four years in November. US electric vehicle sales have been generally hampered since the Trump administration revoked the $7,500 federal tax credit at the end of September. In response to declining demand, Tesla launched simplified configurations of the Model Y and Model 3 in October, priced approximately $5,000 lower than the previous base models. While demand for the standard versions was expected to support November sales, Cox data shows that Tesla's total sales for the month still fell by nearly 23% year-over-year, from 51,513 vehicles in the same period last year to 39,800 vehicles, the lowest level since January 2022.

Cox Data: Despite Tesla (TSLA.O) launching the cheaper Model Y and Model 3, its sales in the U.S. fell to a near three-year low in November.

Multiple sources familiar with the matter said that private equity firm Carnelian Energy Capital is preparing to sell its six oil and gas production investments in North America.

Salesforce (Crm.N) has raised the price of applications that utilize its data.

On December 12th, Apple (AAPL.O) persuaded a U.S. appeals court to overturn parts of a court order that required the company to adjust its lucrative App Store to promote greater competition. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in a lawsuit filed by Epic Games that parts of an order issued in April by a judge finding Apple in contempt of court for violating a previous ruling were too broad and needed to be amended. However, the appeals court upheld most of the contempt of court finding and the previous injunction against Apple. A three-judge panel amended a lower court ruling that prohibited Apple from charging any commission or fee for purchases not made on its platform. The appeals court stated that the trial judge must now amend this part of his order.

The New York Fed: The operations desk plans to conduct approximately $40 billion in reserve management purchases between December 12 and January 14.