Dow stocks hitting 52-week highs include Apple (AAPL) 254.49 (+1.88%). Dow stock 52-week lows include Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 144.47 (+0.62%).

The Market

Premarket today, the Dow was indicated to be down -214 points.

Friday the Dow closed up +498.02 (+1.18%) at 42,840.26.

Year-to-date the Dow is up +13.67%.

Friday, (1) Dow stock was up, none made 52-week lows, and (2) made 52-week highs.

The Dow stock winners Friday were led by Nvidia (NVDA) 134.70 (+3.08%), UnitedHealth (UNH) 500.13 (+2.22%) and Salesforce (CRM) 343.65 (+2.21%).

The Dow stock losers Friday were led by Merck (MRK) 98.05 (-1.48%), Walmart (WMT) 92.24 (-1.24%) and Procter & Gamble (PG) 168.06 (-0.67%).

The VIX closed Friday at 18.36 and the 10 YR at 4.520. The VIX is currently at 18.99 (+3.43%). The 10YR is at 4.553 (+0.62%).

Okay, it’s time for a Santa Claus Rally!

The New York Stock Exchange will close at 1 p.m. Tuesday for Christmas Eve, and the market will be shut on Wednesday for Christmas Day.

Congress passed a stopgap spending bill over the weekend, and President Joe Biden signed it on Saturday, averting a government shutdown after a chaotic, high-stakes week in Washington, D.C. The bill will keep federal government spending at current levels for three months and will provide additional disaster relief and farm aid.

Remember, December is historically the second-best month in a U.S. presidential election year for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

U.S. futures are lower, European stocks are mostly lower and Asian markets ended mostly higher.

The national average price of gasoline is unchanged at $3.042 per gallon.

Earnings Reports

Nike (NKE) reported earnings on 12/19/24 after the market close with $0.78, beating estimates for $0.63 per share.

UnitedHealth (UNH) reports earnings on 1/10/24 before the market open.

Today’s Featured Dow Stock

Home Depot (HD)

Home Depot (HD) 392.60 (+1.97%) is up +13.29% in 2024.

Financial Calendar

08:30 AM ET Chicago Fed National Activity (Nov), -0.40
09:00 AM ET Dallas Fed PCE (Nov), 2.30%
10:00 AM ET CB Consumer Confidence (Dec), 112.9, 111.7
11:30 AM ET 3-Month Bill Auction, 4.250%
11:30 AM ET 6-Month Bill Auction, 4.160%
13:00 PM ET 2-Year Note Auction, 4.274%