by Stephen Culp

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Stock Exchange ended slightly higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones setting a new closing record while the S&P-500 moved even closer to its level after ‘a hesitant session, without major movements, in the absence of notable information capable of moving the market.

The Dow Jones index gained 0.30%, or 111.19 points, to 37,656.52 points.

The broader S&P-500 gained 6.83 points, or 0.14%, to 4,781.58 points.

The Nasdaq Composite advanced 24.60 points (0.16%) to 15,099.18 points.

The three main Wall Street indexes, which oscillated during the session between modest gains and declines, are all heading towards monthly, quarterly and annual increases.

“When there are very few catalysts and little trading activity, you often see trends continue,” said Chuck Carlson, managing director of Horizon Investment Services in Indiana.

“There are three sessions left this year. That means three days of tax savings, portfolio dressing (…) This type of thing can be amplified due to the lack of trading volume,” he said. he says. The publication on Friday of data showing a decline in inflation in the United States in November fueled the hypothesis of a rate cut by the American Federal Reserve (Fed) from March, a prospect which benefits sensitive stocks rates and fuels the positive momentum observed in recent weeks on Wall Street.

Among the major sectors of the S&P-500, real estate was the best performer of the session, while energy recorded the biggest decline, weighed down by the decline in crude prices.

On the value side, Bit Digital gained 18.6% after announcing that it intended to double its operations. Cytokinetics jumped 82.6% following the successful testing of its experimental drug for heart problems.

( Jean Terzian)

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