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Santa continued to shower gifts on stock-market investors, as the S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average once again closed at record levels.
The Dow industrials DJIA, +0.13% closed 23 points, or 0.1%, higher at 18,053, their 38th record close of the year.
The S&P 500 SPH5, +0.33% gained 6.89 points, or 0.3%, to 2,088.7, its 52nd record close. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.70% gained 33.39 points, or 0.7%, to close at 4,806.8.
Natural gas keeps falling: Rounding out the major energy trade, Nymex January natural gas NGF15, +0.13% fell 2.3 cents, or 0.8%, to $3.007 per million British thermal units after briefly dipping below $3 earlier in the session. It is the lowest settlement since Sept. 25, 2012.
Natural gas hasn’t traded below $3 since 2012, according to FactSet. Warmer winter weather has been taking a toll on natural gas prices, which have tumbled more than 26% in December.
Natural-gas stockpiles decreased by less than analysts expected in data that was released on Wednesday.
Across other energy contracts, Nymex January gasoline RBF5, +0.12% eased 0.3% to settle at $1.5087 a gallon, while January heating oil HOF5, -0.24% slipped 0.4% to $1.92 a gallon.
High-grade copper for March delivery HGH5, -1.38% was off 4 cents at $2.81 a pound.
Platinum for January delivery PLF5, +2.16% jumped $27.30, or 2.29%, to $1,218.40 an ounce. Palladium for March delivery PAH5, +1.18% rose $10.15, or 1.26%, at $817.95 an ounce.
Gold prices finished a holiday-shortened week down three-hundreths of a percentage point as gains Friday failed to outweigh heavy losses earlier in the week.
Gold for February delivery GCG5, +1.93% surged $22.10, or 1.88%, to $1,196.30 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange Friday, but remained down 0.04% for the week after a big selloff on Monday. Silver for March delivery SIH5, +2.39% gained 43 cents, or 2.7%, to $16.14 an ounce.
