As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. stock markets are set for special trading hours. Both the NYSE and Nasdaq will close early on Tuesday, December 24, at 1 p.m. EST and remain closed on Wednesday, December 25, in observance of Christmas. Similarly, the U.S. bond market will end trading earlier, at 2 p.m. EST on Christmas Eve.
Trading will resume as usual after the Christmas holiday and continue until the next holiday closure on Wednesday, January 1, for New Year’s Day. Just like before Christmas, markets will close early on December 31, marking the last trading session of 2024.
Wall Street Weekly Update
The U.S. stock markets ended the trading week on a high note, driven by cooling inflation data and dovish remarks from the Federal Reserve. This led to renewed optimism among investors.
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)
On Friday, December 20, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 1.18%, closing at 42,840.26 points, compared to 42,342.24 the previous day. Top-performing stocks included Nvidia Corp., Salesforce Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Inc.
However, the index saw some losses with Merck & Co. Inc., Walmart Inc., and Procter & Gamble Co. ending in the red, as per Marketwatch.com.
Nasdaq Composite Index
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 1.03%, closing at 19,572.60 points. Notable gainers were Nvni Group Ltd., My Size Inc., and TPI Composites Inc., while laggards included Cyngn Inc., Molecular Templates Inc., and Zoomcar Holdings Inc.
S&P 500 Index
The S&P 500 also gained 1.09%, ending the week at 5,930.85 points. Companies like Enphase Energy Inc., Palantir Technologies Inc., and Carnival Corp. led the charge, while Tesla Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., and Palo Alto Networks Inc. faced losses.
As the year comes to an end, Wall Street remains optimistic, buoyed by positive market momentum and easing inflation fears. The upcoming holiday closures offer traders a much-needed respite as they gear up for a promising start to 2025
