The Trading Post | 12.18.25

December 18, 2025

Good morning,

The Fed poured cold water on the 2025 pivot party with fewer projected rate cuts, Oracle’s $10B data center deal blew up, AI darlings like Nvidia and Broadcom are finally feeling gravity, the VIX tagged a 4-month high, and traders are holding their breath for this morning’s CPI print… classic.

Want to follow a proven options system with a 70%+ win rate? Robert Roy's Power Option Plays delivers twice-weekly trade alerts with clear entry and exit plans.

Let’s jump in.

Pre-Market Performance

As of 12.17.25 market close.

Market News

  • Fed Signals Fewer 2025 Rate Cuts: Powell & Co. pushed back on easing expectations, sending yields higher and risk assets lower. The “pivot” crowd is officially annoyed. CBS News

  • Oracle’s $10B Data Center Deal Collapses: Funding issues killed the project, raising uncomfortable questions about AI capex sustainability. CNBC

  • AI Leaders Lose Altitude: Nvidia and Broadcom slid as traders reassessed valuations in a higher-for-longer rate world. Yahoo Finance

  • VIX Spikes to 4-Month High: Volatility surged above 27 as positioning reset ahead of CPI. Fear is officially back on the menu. WSJ

  • All Eyes on CPI (8:30am ET): Consensus sits near 3.1%. Markets are treating this like a binary event, because… it is. WSJ

A Message From Wealth Builders HQ

Trade Options with Confidence Using a Proven System 

Power Option Plays (POP) isn't just another options alert service—it's a complete trading education wrapped around real-time trade opportunities. 

Here's what makes POP different: 

Rob Roy personally analyzes hundreds of stocks every week, selecting only the highest-probability setups based on his Fibonacci and moving average system. You get twice-weekly recorded trainings that walk you through exactly why each trade setup works, so you're learning the methodology while following along. 

Since its founding, POP has maintained an average success rate above 70%, generating millions in profit in simulated trading accounts. The system focuses on repeatable patterns using the same core stock candidates, which means you're building pattern recognition with every alert. 

What You Get: 

  • Biweekly recorded training videos breaking down current market setups 

  • Trade alerts with specific entry points, position sizing, and exit strategies 

  • A proven tracking system that shows you exactly when to scale in and out 

  • Quarterly live Q&A sessions ("Mastering The Trade") to refine your approach 

  • Access to Rob's complete watchlist with bias indicators (bullish, bearish, or neutral) 

Whether you're swing trading or day trading, POP teaches you how to fish while giving you the best fishing spots. You'll learn to identify your own setups using Rob's Fibonacci-based system while following his alerts on proven candidates. 

Ready to trade with a plan? Check out Power Option Plays and start building your options trading confidence with a system that actually works. 

Earnings We’re Watching

  • Accenture Ltd. (ACN) - Thursday (BMO) 

  • CarMax, Inc. (KMX) - Thursday (BMO) 

  • Cintas Corporation (CTAS) - Thursday (BMO) 

  • FedEx Corp. (FDX) - Thursday (AMC) 

  • KB Home (KBH) - Thursday (AMC) 

  • Nike Inc (NKE) - Thursday (AMC) 

Trade Ideas

Ares Management LP (ARES), Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRK_B), C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc (CHRW), Ciena Corporation (CIEN)

CME Group Inc (CME), CoreWeave, Inc (CRWV), Dell Technologies, Inc (DELL), Digital Realty Trust (DLR)

Elevance Health Inc (ELV), iShares Russell 2000 Index Fun (IWM), Lam Research Corporation (LRCX), 3M Company (MMM)

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NXPI), Philip Morries International (PM), Roku, Inc (ROKU)

Sherwin-William Company (SHW), Atlassion Corporation Plc (TEAM), TE Connectivity (TEL), United Health Group Incorporated (UNH)

Wix.com Ltd (WIX), Ares Management LP (ARES), Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRK_B), C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc (CHRW)

Want to learn how we trade these? Learn the setup we call the “High Volatility Switchback” trade.

Get these ideas delivered to your inbox daily with Trade With Rob. It’s 100% free. Sign up here.

Daily Moment of Zen

❝

There is no art which one government sooner learns of another than that of draining money from the pockets of the people.

Adam Smith

Why It Matters:

Adam Smith basically just subtweeted every modern budget, tax code, and “temporary” policy ever created.

In markets, this quote is a reminder that governments don’t need to be malicious to be expensive — inefficiency, debt, inflation, and creative accounting do the job just fine. When spending balloons, the bill rarely shows up as a neat line item. It shows up as currency debasement, higher rates, stealth taxes via inflation, and volatility that punishes anyone pretending risk doesn’t exist.

For traders, this is why macro always matters, even when stocks are ripping. Expanding deficits pressure bonds, bonds pressure rates, rates pressure valuations… and suddenly the “can’t-miss” trade isn’t so bulletproof. The money drain doesn’t happen overnight — it leaks slowly, then all at once.

Translation: don’t fight fiscal gravity. Trade with awareness, hedge when policy gets reckless, and remember — when governments get creative, markets eventually get honest.