Stocks Close Slightly Lower in Quiet Post-Christmas Trading

Stocks closed slightly lower in a quiet trading session as investors returned from the Christmas holiday.

Volume on the New York Stock Exchange was roughly half of an average session. (Photo: The New York Stock Exchange Facebook)

The S&P 500 slipped 2.11 points, or less than 0.1%, to 6,929.94.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 20.19 points, also less than 0.1%, to 48,710.97, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 20.21 points, or 0.1%, to 23,593.10, Elaine Kurtenbach reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Institutional investors have largely closed out their positions for the year, resulting in extremely light trading.

Volume on the New York Stock Exchange was roughly half of an average session.

With three trading days left in 2025, the S&P 500 is up nearly 18% for the year, buoyed by the Trump administration’s deregulatory policies and investor optimism surrounding artificial intelligence.

Gold and silver prices continued to climb, with silver rising nearly 8% to $77.20 an ounce, while gold gained 1.1%.

Both precious metals have advanced this year as investors sought safe havens outside of stocks and bonds. Silver has also surged due to supply constraints. Mining stocks posted solid gains, with Freeport-McMoRan rising 2.2%.

Earlier increases in gold prices partly reflected investor anxiety during the US government shutdown.

Expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates further in the new year—potentially weakening the dollar against other currencies—have also fueled demand for gold.