Stevie and Laura wrap up a quiet first week of December, with the ASX managing a small lift to notch its fourth straight day of gains. Investors worked through mixed local data, including softer GDP but a surprisingly strong jump in household spending has kept rate expectations in focus. Lithium miners were standouts on upgraded demand forecasts, Premier Investments weighed on consumer discretionary after flagging softer earnings, and NextDC climbed after striking a major data centre deal with OpenAI. With the RBA’s decision on Tuesday, the US Fed on Thursday, and key inflation and jobs data on the way, markets are bracing for a big week ahead.

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