LIVE MARKETS-Green Christmas: US stocks coast higher in light trading

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GREEN CHRISTMAS: US STOCKS COAST HIGHER IN LIGHT TRADING

A fairly broad-based rally - and a lack of any mood-killing catalysts - sent U.S. stocks to a higher close on Monday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 227.79 points, or 0.47%, to 48,362.68, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 43.99 points, or 0.64%, to 6,878.49 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC gained 121.21 points, or 0.52%, to 23,428.83.

The S&P 500 finished the day 0.3% shy of its all-time closing high reached on December 11. If the benchmark index manages to notch yet another record close, that will bring the 2025 total to 38. That might sound like a lot, but the index scored 57 in 2024.

Among the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, all but consumer staples .SPLRCS ended a light-volume session in the green.

Aerospace & defense .SPCOMAED, airlines .SPCOMAIR and banks .SPXBK all handily outperformed the broader market.

Indexes that reached all-time closing highs today included S&P 500 Financials .SPSY, S&P 500 Banks .SPXBK, ARCA Gold Bugs .HUI, Philadelphia Gold/Silver Index .XAU, Nasdaq Biotech .NBI.

Having surged more than 53% in the last two trading days, Truth Social parent Trump Media tumbled 10.4% and is currently on track to show a 2025 loss of 57.7%.

A barrel of oddly-timed economic indicators - an echo effect of the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown - is due on Tuesday. They include the Commerce Department's advance take on third-quarter GDP as well as its new home sales data for October, the Federal Reserve's November industrial production report, and the Conference Board's take on current-month consumer confidence.

Here's your closing snapshot:

(Stephen Culp)

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