1. Trump said he would end the Ukraine war by the time he’s inaugurated on Jan. 20.

2. In Syria, rebel forces advanced on Homs and Kurdish fighters took control of the eastern desert.

3. US appeals court upheld a law requiring China-based ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban in six weeks. Expect ByteDance to appeal to the Supreme Court.

4. Trump's return to the White House is seen fueling a dealmaking revival that could bolster investment banking income to $316 billion globally next year, a jump of about 5.7% on 2024.

5. US government approved the export of advanced AI chips to a Microsoft-operated facility in the UAE.

6. US House is set to vote to provide $3 billion for US telecom companies to remove equipment made by Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE from American wireless networks to address security risks.

7. US TikTok users spent heavily to buy merchandise from a range of vendors on the e-commerce platform TikTok Shop so far this holiday shopping season.