- Wall
Street edges higher midday Wednesday. - Markets
near record levels hover. - Holiday-shortened
trading day continues.
At 11:15 a.m. Eastern, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had
increased by 0.4%. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.1%, while the S&P 500
index increased by less than 0.2%.
Markets are closed on Christmas Eve and will close at 1 p.m.
ET. Due to the vacation and the fact that the majority of investors have closed
their positions for the year, volumes are anticipated to be low this week even
though markets will reopen for a full day of trading on Friday.
Due to investors’ support for the Trump administration’s
deregulatory plans and their optimism about artificial intelligence’s potential
to increase earnings for both technology businesses and corporate America as a
whole, the S&P 500 has increased by almost 15% this year.
Nvidia and Micron Technologies, two businesses that produce
chips or other components that drive the expansion of data centers around the
nation, are among the top performers this year.
The direction of the US economy and the Federal Reserve’s
interest rate changes will be major concerns for investors over the coming
weeks. When the Fed meets in January, investors are wagering that interest
rates will remain unchanged.
Due to consumers continuing to spend
despite patient affectation, the U.S. frugality expanded at a suddenly robust
4.3 periodic rate in the third quarter, the fastest rate in two times. Recent
reports have also indicated that consumers who are concerned about high prices
aren’t veritably confident.
Despite some suggestions that the labor request is
deteriorating, the number of Americans seeking severance benefits dropped last
week and is still at historically high situations.
The Labor Department blamed on Wednesday that operations for
severance claims in the United States dropped by 10,000 to 214,000 for the week
ending December 20 from 224,000 the week before. That’s lower than the 232,000
new operations that judges surveyed by the analytics company FactSet
prognosticated.
Following Sanofi’s announcement that it would be purchasing
the California-based vaccine manufacturer in a $2.2 billion deal, Dynavax
Technologies saw a 38% increase. The French pharmaceutical company will expand
its product line to include Dynavax’s hepatitis B vaccines and an ongoing
shingles vaccine.
Following the weight-loss medication company’s clearance by
US regulators for a tablet form of its popular medication Wegovy, Novo
Nordisk’s stock increased 2%. However, Novo Nordisk’s stock is still down about
40% this year due to the company’s increased competition for weight-loss drugs,
especially from Eli Lilly. Eli Lilly’s stock has increased 40% so far this
year.
The European markets were fluctuating between modest gains
and losses. Asian markets were likewise calm, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 falling
0.1% and Hong Kong rising 0.2%.
Silver prices increased by more than 1%, and both gold and
silver futures were higher. The price of US crude oil increased 0.4% to $58.61
per barrel.
How much did trading volume fall during the shortened
session?
Wall Street’s trading volume on December 24, 2025, during
the vacation- docked session fell nearly 50 below the recent diurnal normal,
reflecting thin liquidity typical of Christmas Eve trading.
With requests closing beforehand at 1 p.m. ET, consolidated
tape recording volume for NYSE and Nasdaq- listed stocks dropped to around 4- 5
billion shares versus 8- 10 billion on normal days, driven by reduced
institutional participation and retail vacation absence.
Lower volume amplified intraday swings despite slight
earnings, with the S&P 500 near records; judges note similar sessions
frequently see heightened volatility from limited liquidity, though no major
dislocations passed.
