SPX has rallied, VIX has fallen, and there’s been general improvement in the U.S. stock market’s internal indicators. Moreover, this is the beginning of another seasonally bullish period — the so-called Santa Claus rally.

The Dow closed slightly higher on Thursday while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 closed lower in the second day of a so-called Santa Claus rally period.

Yes. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will both operate on half-day schedules, closing at 1 p.m., while bond markets will shut down at 2 p.m., and major U.S. financial markets will stay closed until Thursday’s normal trading session.

Stocks have seen a stellar 2024, but the S&P 500 is in danger of a rare December loss. It’s all riding on the so-called Santa Claus rally.

Some of the biggest winners were mega-cap tech stocks, with Tesla up by 6% while Broadcom, Netflix, and Amazon each gained about 2%.

Learn all about the Santa Claus Rally, a seasonal stock market trend with historical significance. Discover why it happens and some tips.

US stocks looked set for a mostly muted open to a final, shortened trading session before the Christmas holiday,

Asian Shares Are Mostly Higher in Thin Post-Christmas Holiday Trading BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Thursday in thin post-Christmas holiday trading, while oil prices rose. Japan's Nikkei 225 index surged 0.

Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market.

Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street Thursday, as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses.