US stocks ended Friday’s final trading session on a quiet note after sliding around the flatline for most of the day.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 59.78 points, or 0.16%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite fell 0.26% and 0.61%, respectively.
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The major US stock indices ended December with solid gains, crowning an outstanding year for the market. The S&P 500 is heading for a plus of more than 27% for 2021, the best performance since 2019, another outstanding year.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 index lost 0.3% a day after hitting a record high, closing at 4,778.73. The Dow, which also hit a new high on Wednesday, fell 0.2% to 36,398.08. The Nasdaq also lost 0.2% to 15,741.56.
Tech companies made up a large part of Wall Street’s late afternoon slide.
| ticker | safety | Last | change | Change% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Me: DJI | DOW JONES AVERAGE VALUES | 36338.3 | -59.78 | -0.16% |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 4766.18 | -12.55 | -0.26% |
| Me: COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 15644.970696 | -96.59 | -0.61% |
US benchmark crude oil lost 75 cents to $ 76.24 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 43 cents on Thursday to $ 76.99 a barrel.
In Europe, London’s FTSE lost 0.3% and France’s CAC lost 0.3%. The markets in Germany were closed.
In Asia, Tokyo and many other regional markets have been closed.
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Hong Kong rose 1.2% in New Year’s Eve trading to 23,397.67 and the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.6% to 3,639.78.
A poll released on Friday showed that Chinese factory activity increased slightly in December as supply disruptions eased and export demand eased.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
