DOW Financial News

Wall Street closed in negative territory on Monday in light volume at the top of a holiday-shortened week in the second-to-last trading session of an eventful year in which all three indexes posted strong double-digit gains. End-of-year tax positioning, valuations, climbing Treasury yields and uncertainties about 2025 all contributed to the risk-off sentiment. The three major U.S. stock indexes bounced off early lows but still were down more than 0.5%.

Wall Street's holiday cheer ended abruptly on Friday, with all three main benchmarks closing lower in a broad-based sell-off affecting even tech and growth stocks that had driven markets higher through much of the shortened trading week. The decline ended the Dow Jones Industrial Average's five-session winning streak that had followed a 10-session decline, its worst losing stretch since 1974.

Stocks closed lower as Wall Street ended a holiday-shortened week on a down note

Stocks are closing lower as Wall Street ends a holiday-shortened week on a down note

Treasury yields were slightly higher early Friday after a mixed set of data on weekly jobless claims.

Treasury yields rose Thursday morning as investors awaited new data on jobless claims.

With megacap stocks having outsized influence on markets, their performance during a week in which many investors take time off will be even more pronounced. Volumes on U.S. exchanges were 12.76 billion shares, down from the 14.89 billion shares average from the previous 20 trading days.

US Stock Market's main indexes — S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite — all ended higher on Monday aided by gains by many of the so-called Magnificent Seven tech stocks in the Wall Street.

US stock market roared back on Friday to nearly halve their losses from what was tracking to be one of the market’s worst weeks of the year. Wall Street index S&P 500 rallied 1.4 per cent toward its best day since Election Day and shaved its loss for the week down to 1.7 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 602 points, or 1.4 per cent, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.4 per cent. Superstar stock Nvidia and other Big Tech companies led the market, which got a lift after a report said a measure of inflation the Federal Reserve likes to use was slightly lower last month than economists expected. It’s an encouraging signal following recent reports suggesting inflation may be tough to get all the way down to the Fed’s 2 per cent goal from its peak above 9 per cent. The threat of higher inflation was one of the reasons Fed Chair Jerome Powell gave this week when the central bank hinted it may deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than it earlier expected.

Wall Street's fear gauge — the VIX — spiked by the second biggest percentage in its history on Wednesday, after the Federal Reserve jolted the stock market by saying it would dial back its rate-cutting campaign.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell has left little chance for a Santa rally in global equity markets. While the Dow Jones recorded its worst day in over four months, the Sensex fell more than 1,100 points, nearing the 79,000 mark. The market had already priced in the impact of a 25 basis point rate cut but was left concerned after the dot plot was revised significantly higher, with only two cuts now forecast for 2025, half of what was expected in September. According to the current projections, 2026 is also likely to see just two cuts, down from four previously.

U.S. stocks sank to their second-worst loss of the year after the Federal Reserve signaled that it may deliver fewer interest rates cuts in 2025 than earlier thought

Wall Street's main indexes opened flat Wednesday, as investors turned cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's final rate decision of the year and awaited signals on whether policymakers will take a more cautious stance in 2025. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 9.8 points, or 0.02%, at the open to 43,459.72.

Federal Reserve's last policy announcement of the year after economic data indicated consumer spending remained solid. U.S. retail sales increased more than expected in November, buoyed in part by an acceleration in motor vehicle purchases, consistent with strong underlying momentum in a resilient economy.

Here's breaking down the pre-market actions:

U.S. stock indexes closed lower and gave back some of their stellar gains for the year

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been declining for nine straight days, heading for its longest losing streak since February 1978. What is going on and how concerned should investors be?

Wall Street's main indexes opened lower on Tuesday, as investors grew cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision later this week following strong retail sales data that pointed to consumers' continued resilience. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 61.0 points, or 0.14%, at the open to 43,656.47.

U.S. stock indexes drifted through mixed trading ahead of a meeting by the Federal Reserve later this week that could set Wall Street’s direction into next year

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