by Stephen Culp

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Stock Exchange ended its last session of the year down on Tuesday, after reaching records in 2024.

The Dow Jones index fell 0.07%, or 29.51 points, to 42,544.22 points.

The broader Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 25.31 points, or 0.43% to 5,881.63 points.

The Nasdaq Composite fell 175.99 points, or 0.90%, to 19,310.792 points.

The three main US indices ended the last session of the year in negative territory, in a session in which trading volumes were weak, which contrasted with the tumultuous year about to end .

The year 2024 was marked by intensifying geopolitical conflicts, the US presidential election and evolving speculation regarding Fed policy in the year ahead.

“There is no Santa Claus rally this week,” said Greg Bassuk, managing director of AXS Investments in New York, referring to the phenomenon in which the stock market tends to rise in the last days of December.

However, he estimated that 2024 had been “a year of gains in the equity markets, thanks to the explosion of AI, the Fed’s interest rate reductions and a robust US economy. “

The Nasdaq is poised to rise nearly 29% in 2024, while the S&P 500 appears poised to gain more than 23%, which would be the index’s best two-year performance since 1997-1998. .

The Dow Jones index is on the verge of progressing by almost 13% over the year.

Over the whole of 2024, the best sector performances are for communication services, technology and consumer discretionary, with gains of 30% to 40% over the year.

For 2025, financial markets currently estimate that the Fed should make further interest rate cuts of around 50 basis points.

Investors are also looking at uncertainties surrounding U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s administration’s tax and tariff policies.

“Investors should be cautious about the impact the incoming Trump administration will have and how that affects certain sectors,” said Greg Bassuk, adding that geopolitical instability could also affect certain companies.

For further information, please click on the following codes: NYSE Nasdaq Market Summary………..25 Highest Volumes………….. .. Biggest increases in %…………. Biggest drops in %…………… Guide to American stock indices… . Market statistics………………………….. 10-year benchmark bond ………….. Guide to sectoral indices American… Guide to American stock markets…… Dow Jones Indices……………………. S&P Indices…. ………….Ex-dividend values……………………….. Forecasts for the Dow Jones and the S&P..

(With Johann M Cherian, Pranav Kashyap and Purvi Agarwal; Camille Raynaud)

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