ISTANBUL <\/p>\n
The New York stock market ended the day before the Christmas holiday on a high note, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes hitting record highs at the close.<\/p>\n
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6%, or 288.75 points, to close at 48,731.16.<\/p>\n
The Nasdaq increased 0.22%, or 51.46 points, to 23,613.31, while the S&P 500 earned 0.32%, or 22.26 points, to reach 6,932.05.<\/p>\n
The Volatility Index (VIX), also known as the “fear index,” dropped 3.79% to 13.47.<\/p>\n
The New York Stock Exchange, which closed early on Wednesday due to the Christmas holiday, will remain closed on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Following mixed economic data in the US, expectations that the Fed will further cut interest rates next year remained intact, while stock markets saw positive momentum on Christmas Eve.<\/p>\n
Data released on Tuesday showed that the US economy recorded its fastest growth in two years in the third quarter, while consumer confidence fell in December.<\/p>\n
Wednesday’s data indicated that the number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time fell by 10,000 to 214,000 in the week ending Dec. 20, falling short of expectations.<\/p>\n
On the corporate side, Nike shares gained 4.6% after Apple CEO Tim Cook purchased approximately $3 million worth of shares.<\/p>\n
Intel shares fell 0.5% after news that Nvidia had stopped testing Intel’s 18A chip manufacturing process.<\/p>\n