Jay Woods, chief market strategist at Freedom Capital Markets, said Monday he’s keeping an eye on electric vehicle maker Tesla , which is poised to close out the year with big gains. “Tesla is quietly broken out of not just a one-year base, but a five-year base,” Woods said. “Technically, this stock is on the move.” The Elon Musk-led company has rallied 22% in 2025. That makes it one of three “Magnificent Seven” stocks, alongside Alphabet and Nvidia , to rally more than the S & P 500 for the year. Musk is no longer leading the Department of Government Efficiency in Washington D.C., giving him more time to lead Tesla, Woods added. Expectations are also sky-high after Musk’s $1 trillion pay package was approved by shareholders. “I think the table is set for him to have a phenomenal 2026,” Woods said. “Watch to see if this streak can continue.” Here are some other things Woods is watching around the holidays: The last five days of trading this year and the first two sessions of 2026 may invite a “Santa Claus rally.” On average, the S & P 500 is up 79% during that period, notching an average gain of 1.3%, he said. “We get that gain, we get new high,” Woods said. “So, let’s see if Santa comes to town.” The S & P 500 is on track to end 2025 more than 16% higher. That would mark the third consecutive year the S & P 500 has closed out with double-digit gains. The last two times that happened were between 2019 and 2021 and from 2012 to 2014. Next week, the Federal Reserve will release the minutes from its Dec. 10 meeting. Economic data, including a report on job claims, will be released this week and next week. (See the video above for the full analysis from Woods.)
