Rover's Weekly Market Brief - 12/19/2025

Getting ETF Sector Breakdowns

We have created a help section called How To which provides concise, direct recipes for performing common tasks in Stock Rover.

The How To posts can quickly show how you accomplish things and help you use Stock Rover more productively. Today we want to highlight Getting ETF Sector Breakdowns.

Economy

The Census Bureau reported advance U.S. retail and food services sales were $732.6 billion in October, virtually unchanged (+0.0%) from the prior month; this follows a downwardly revised (+0.1%) increase for September. Total Retail sales were up (+3.5%) year over year. Total sales for the August 2025 through October 2025 period were up (+4.2%) year over year. Retail sales are mostly goods and are not adjusted for inflation. While overall monthly growth was flat, nonstore retailers continued to show strength on an annual basis (+9.0%), supporting year-over-year gains. Excluding sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers and gasoline stations, sales were up (+0.5%) for the month. Miscellaneous store retailers (+9.5%) led annual sales increases, while building materials (-4.5%) posted one of the larger year-over-year declines. On a monthly basis, motor vehicle & parts dealers (-1.6%) recorded a notable decline. Food services & drinking places, the only service category, were down (-0.4%) for the month and (+4.1%) year over year. Core retail sales, a measurement that excludes spending on autos, gasoline, building materials, and food services, surged (+0.8%) in October and were up (+4.8%) year over year.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a modest increase of 64,000 jobs in November, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.6%, with the number of unemployed at 7.8 million. A year earlier, the jobless rate stood at 4.2%, and unemployment totaled about 7.1 million. November job gains were led by health care (+46,000) and construction (+28,000), alongside continued growth in social assistance (+18,000), while employment declined in transportation and warehousing (-18,000) and the federal government (-6,000). Manufacturing and several other major industries showed little change over the month. Average hourly earnings edged up 0.1% to $36.86, reflecting a 3.5% increase over the past year. Meanwhile, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 1.9 million, accounting for 24.3% of the total unemployed, compared with roughly 1.7 million, or 23.3%, a year earlier. Revisions to August and September data showed that 33,000 fewer jobs were added than previously reported.

The Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index increased 0.2% over the two months ending in November (seasonally adjusted), following a 0.3% increase through September, as data for October were not collected due to the federal government shutdown. The all items index rose 2.7% over the past year (before seasonal adjustment), down from a 3.0% increase for the 12 months ending in September. The recent increase was led by shelter costs, which rose 0.2% over the two-month period and remained the largest contributor to overall inflation. The food index increased 0.1%, as food at home edged higher while food away from home continued to rise. The energy index climbed 1.1% over the period, reflecting higher gasoline prices and increases in electricity, partially offset by declines in natural gas. Core CPI (all items less food and energy) increased 0.2% over the two months and advanced 2.6% year over year. Categories showing notable annual increases included household furnishings and operations (+4.6%), used cars and trucks (+3.6%), shelter (+3.0%), and medical care (+2.9%).

Upcoming Economic Reports:

Tuesday December 23 – GDP (QoQ) Q3

Wednesday December 24 – Durable Goods Orders (MoM) (October)

Earnings Calendar:

 

Report

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Ennis (EBF)	Limoneira (LMNR)	No Earnings Report	iHuman (IH)	Flanigan’S Enterprises (BDL)
Barnes & Noble Education (BNED)	SIFCO Industries (SIF)	No Earnings Report	No Earnings Report	Outlook Therapeutics (OTLK)