The Dow and S&P 500 inched ahead on Monday to start what was widely expected to be the quietest week on the market in some time.
With the markets closing early on Wednesday for Christmas Eve—and staying closed until Friday in recognition of Christmas Day—experts predicted many traders would stay silent this week. Monday saw the major indexes advance thanks to a strong day in the technology sector, with companies like Intel leading the way.
Most of the market news was provided by economic data related to currency and consumer behavior. The Euro rebounded some from two-year lows against the dollar, but that was largely due to the dollar’s struggle in light of some poor data on U.S. home sales—the worst in six months. Tuesday’s reports will include the final GDP numbers from the 3rd quarter, along with home prices and inflation data.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 17,959.44 (+154.64)
NASDAQ: 4,781.42 (+16.04)
S&P 500: 2,078.54 (+7.89)
