While German stock markets were still closed on the second Christmas holiday, trading had already resumed in the US, with no clear direction and low turnover.
The Dow closed at 43,326 points, up a mere 0.1%, the Nasdaq-100 fell 0.1% to 21,768 points, and the broader S&P 500 ended at 6,038 points, almost unchanged, just 0.041% lower than before Christmas.
After the major indices had surged again before the holiday, with the S&P 500 even recording a 1.1% gain on Christmas Eve, the market was calmer on Thursday, with no new input on the ongoing interest rate bet. The question of whether and how often the Fed might cut interest rates in the coming months had dominated the markets lately.
The dollar was slightly less in demand on Thursday evening: one euro cost 1.0419 US dollars, and one dollar was worth 0.9598 euros, a change of 0.1%.
Apparently, some investors were reconsidering their gold investments over the Christmas break, as the price of a fine ounce rose by 0.6% to 2,634 US dollars, equivalent to 81.28 euros per gram.
And the oil price fell: a barrel of Brent crude cost 73.15 US dollars at around 22:00 German time, 43 cents or 0.6% less than the previous day’s close.
In contrast to the German stock markets, which will only have two trading days this year, on December 27 and a shortened session on December 30, the US will continue to trade on all remaining days, including December 31, at regular trading hours.