Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange on December 10, 2024.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both fell. This is the beginning of a short trading week before Christmas.
The Dow went down by 270 points. The S&P 500 dropped by 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite stayed about the same.
This week, trading will be quiet. The New York Stock Exchange will close early on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. It will be closed on Christmas Day.
Bad economic news made people worried. The consumer confidence index fell to 104.7, which is lower than expected. Orders for durable goods also fell by 1.1% in November.
This month, the Dow is down 4.6%. The S&P 500 is down 1.7%. However, the Nasdaq Composite is up by 1.8%.
Investors hope for a “Santa Claus rally” at the end of the year. This is a time when the stock market often goes up.
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