On Monday, December 23rd, U.S. markets closed higher, with the Nasdaq and Dow marking three straight gains, driven by strong performances from tech giants like Meta, Nvidia, and Tesla. Lighter holiday trading volumes amplified moves as investors adjusted to the Federal Reserve’s signals of a slower pace of rate cuts.

In economic data, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index improved to -0.12 in November from -0.5 in October. U.S. durable goods orders fell 1.1% to $285.1 billion, missing market expectations of a 0.4% decline.

Most S&P 500 sectors rose, led by communication services, health care, and tech, while consumer staples and materials lagged and closed lower.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.16% and closed at 42,906.95, the S&P 500 closed higher by 0.73% at 5,974.07, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.98% to finish at 19,764.88.

Asia Markets Today

Eurozone at 06:00 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was down 0.22%.
• Germany’s DAX slid 0.18%.
• France’s CAC gained 0.56%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.51%.

Commodities at 06:00 AM ET

• Crude Oil WTI was trading higher by 0.92% at $69.88/bbl, and Brent was up 0.86% at $72.94/bbl.
• Oil prices rose, supported by a positive short-term market outlook, signs of higher demand, and China’s fiscal stimulus plans.
• Natural Gas rose 2.99% to $3.447.
• Gold was trading higher by 0.08% at $2,630.40, Silver was up 0.01% to $30.192 and rose 0.83% to $4.1185.

U.S. Futures at 06:00 AM ET

Dow futures were up 0.01%, S&P 500 futures were up 0.10%, and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.15%.

Forex at 06:00 AM ET

The U.S. Dollar Index was up 0.14% to 108.18, USD/JPY slid 0.04% to 157.09, and USD/AUD rose 0.25% to 1.6042.

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