Wall Street closes neutral in minimal trade after a holiday break.

NEW YORK (AP)— Stock indices finished mixed on Wall Street Thursday, with advances in some heavyweight technology and telecom sectors offsetting gains elsewhere.

The S&P 500 dipped less than 0.1% after fluctuating between minor gains and losses throughout the day. The little loss broke the benchmark index’s three-day winning streak.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.1%.

Trading activity was lower than typical when US markets resumed after the Christmas break.

Nvidia, the semiconductor behemoth whose massive value gives it an outsized effect on indexes, fell 0.2%. Meta Platforms dropped 0.7%, while Amazon and Netflix both slid 0.9%.

Tesla was one of the S&P 500’s worst losers, falling 1.8%.

Some technology businesses performed better. Broadcom gained 2.4%, Micron Technology added 0.6%, and Adobe gained 0.5%.

Healthcare stocks were a bright light. CVS Health increased 1.5%, while Walgreens Boots Alliance increased 5.3%, resulting in the largest gain among S&P 500 stocks.

Several stores have also gained momentum. Target grew by 3%, Ross Stores by 2.3%, Best Buy by 2.9%, and Dollar Tree by 3.8%.

Traders are monitoring to see if shops have a successful Christmas season. The day after Christmas is generally one of the top ten busiest shopping days of the year, with customers going online or rushing to stores to cash in gift cards and raid bargain bins.

Honda and Nissan’s US-listed shares increased 4.1% and 16.4%, respectively. The Japanese automakers stated earlier this week that they are in negotiations to merge.

Overall, the S&P 500 lost 2.45 points to 6,037.59. The Dow rose 28.77 points to 43,325.80. The Nasdaq dropped 10.77 points to settle at 20,020.36.

Wall Street received a labor market report. Applications for unemployment benefits in the United States remained constant last week, while continuing claims reached their highest level in three years, according to the Labor Department.

Treasury rates declined mostly in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.58% from 4.59% late Tuesday.

Major European markets were closed, as were Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia.

This week’s trading was predicted to be low owing to a lack of economic data.

Despite decreased trading volumes, US markets have typically performed well toward the end of the year. Since 1950, the last five trading days of each year, as well as the first two of the new year, have produced an average gain of 1.3%.

So far this month, the U.S. stock market has given up some of its gains since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory on Election Day, which increased optimism for faster economic growth and less regulations to boost corporate earnings. Worries have grown that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other measures would lead to higher inflation, increased US government debt, and difficulty in global commerce.

Nonetheless, the U.S. market is on track to provide significant gains in 2024. The benchmark S&P 500 is up 26.6% this year and remains close to its most recent all-time high, which it established earlier this month — the latest of 57 new highs for the year.

Next week, Wall Street will receive numerous economic statistics, including updates on pending house sales and home prices, as well as a report on U.S. construction expenditure and manufacturing activity.