The weekly jobless claims might get special attention on Wednesday. Trading activity is expected to be subdued ahead of the New Year's Day holiday.
Asian shares finished mostly lower, while European shares are trading broadly down.
Initial signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open lower.
As of 7.25 am ET, the Dow futures were losing 41.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were down 8.75 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were sliding 49.50 points.
The U.S. major averages eventually ended Wednesday modestly lower. The Dow dipped 94.87 points or 0.2 percent to 48,367.06, the Nasdaq slipped 55.27 points or 0.2 percent to 23,419.08 and the S&P 500 edged down 9.50 points or 0.1 percent to 6,896.24.
On the economic front, the Labor Department's Jobless Claims for the week will be issued at 8.30 am ET. The consensus for initial claims is 218K, while it was up 214K in the prior week.
The Energy Information Administration or EIA's Natural Gas Report for the week will be released at 12.00 pm ET.
The Agriculture Department's Farm Prices will be published at 3.00 pm ET.
Asian shares finished mixed on Wednesday. China's Shanghai Composite Index edged up 0.09 percent to close at 3,968.84. The Shenzhen Component Index closed at 13,525.02, shedding 0.58 percent from the previous close of 13,604.07.
The Hang Seng Index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange slipped 224 points or 0.87 percent to finish trading at 25,606.37.
Equity markets in Japan and South Korea are closed for a holiday.
Australia's S&P/ASX200 closed trading at 8,714.30, slipping 3 points or 0.03 percent from the previous close of 8,717.10.
European shares are trading mostly lower. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is down 39.28 points or 0.48 percent. The German DAX is gaining 139.29 points or 0.57 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is sliding 17.65 points or 0.18 percent.
The Swiss Market Index is gaining 26.89 points or 0.20 percent.
The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is up 31.88 points or 0.55 percent.
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Business News
December 26, 2025 08:42 ET Third quarter economic growth data from some major economies including the U.S. were the main news in this holiday shortened week. GDP growth and industrial production data from the U.S. helped to boost morale, while the consumer confidence survey results were less upbeat. In Europe, the quarterly economic growth data from the U.K. drew attention, while the minutes of the Australian central bank’s latest policy session was in focus in Asia.