China's ByteDance signs deal to form joint venture in step to avoid US TikTok ban  Reuters Oracle stock jumps 5% as cloud provider joins investor group to run TikTok's U.S. business  CNBC TikTok reaches agreements on new US joint venture with closing set for 2026  Fox Business TikTok signs deal to spin off US business  thehill.com Scoop: TikTok signs deal for U.S. unit after yearslong saga  Axios

Japan raises interest rates to highest level in 30 years  Financial Times The Bank of Japan Raised Rates. Here’s Why You Should Care.  The Wall Street Journal Yen Weakens Despite BOJ Hiking Rate to Highest Level Since 1995  Yahoo Finance Asian Shares to Rise as US CPI Lifts Stocks, Bonds: Markets Wrap  Bloomberg.com Bank of Japan Raises Interest Rates to Highest Level in 30 Years  The New York Times

Inflation cools slightly in November as worries about affordability grip Americans  NPR NY Fed President Williams says some 'technical factors' distorted November's CPI reading downward  CNBC Inflation cooled in November to 2.7%, but economists say to take it with ‘the entire salt shaker’  CNN US says price increases eased last month but data may be distorted and Americans aren't feeling it  AP News 'We might need more than a few grains of salt': Top economists pan inflation report that effectively assumed housing inflation was zero  Fortune

Monetary policy statement (with Q&A)  European Central Bank ECB upgrades growth outlook, closing door to more cuts  Reuters Here are four key takeaways from Europe's central banks' final rate decisions of 2025  CNBC ECB Holds Rates With Growth Firmer and Inflation Near Target  Bloomberg.com Monetary policy decisions  European Central Bank

UnitedHealth Group commits to improvements after independent audit, patient backlash  CNBC UnitedHealth pledges operational changes after external audits  Yahoo Finance UnitedHealth gets results of first external reviews (UNH:NYSE)  Seeking Alpha UnitedHealth Flags Compliance Gaps in Outside Consultant Reviews  Bloomberg.com UnitedHealth Reportedly Calls for Operational Changes After External Audits Find Gaps  marketscreener.com

Quad witching, Nike slides, weed rules and more in Morning Squawk  CNBC Friday could be a wild day of trading on Wall Street. Here's why  CNBC 5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens  Investopedia Wall Street climbs as investors brace for potential volatility on quadruple witching day  Seeking Alpha CPI Can't Save Stock Market Ahead of $7 Trillion Expirations  TheStreet Pro