India, Jan. 4 -- The first full trading week of the new year could shake the U.S. stock market out of its winter holiday slumber as the monthly jobs data headlines a busy start to 2026 for investors. Stocks slid in the final session of 2025, with the benchmark S&P 500 (SPX) falling into a monthly loss for December. But the index still climbed more than 16% in 2025, its third straight year of double-digit percentage gains, while the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) was last just above its lows for the year.

Trading volumes were thin at the end of 2025, but the new year could get off to an eventful start. Aside from economic data, investors await a U.S. Supreme Court decision on President Donald Trump's tariffs along with his choice of a new Fe...