Stock Market Today: Stocks Advance on Light Volume Thanks to Big Tech
Equities rose in a mostly sleepy session as Mag 7 names led the way.



Light volume ahead of a holiday-shortened trading week led to a mostly uneventful session for equities. As per usual, a handful of mega-cap tech names did much of the heavy lifting amid a smattering of economic news and little in the way of corporate catalysts.
Two of the three main equity benchmarks saw their relative volume plunge by about half on Monday, which isn't unusual during this time of the year. As a reminder, markets close early Christmas eve, and both the bond and equity markets have different holidays hours throughout the year.
Furthermore, as for macroeconomic data, the economic calendar is light during the holidays. The corporate earnings calendar tends to quiet down too.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
It's normal for things to slow down this time of year, but when volume declines on the major exchanges, this means there is less liquidity. Don't panic if you see volatility pick up amid light volume.
It's also not unusual to see the year's biggest and best performing stocks gain upside momentum in late December. Sometimes professional investors chase winners to put window dressing on their returns before year-end.
Economic news in focus
As for Monday's session, there was little in the way of economic news to move markets.
Orders for durable goods fell last month, hurt by lower purchases of aircraft. Boeing (BA), a Buy-rated Dow Jones stock, has been struggling with its commercial aircraft division, among other issues.
"The passenger airplane, defense jet, fabricated metal products, computer and electronic products, and motor vehicle and part categories saw transactions drop 7%, 2.6%, 1.6%, 0.7%, and 0.3%, respectively, during the period," writes José Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers.
In better news, business investment finally jumped, the economist notes. "Non-defense, capital goods excluding aircraft segment, a proxy for business investment, posted its sharpest monthly gain in over a year," Torres adds.
In other econ news, consumer confidence unexpectedly dropped in December to 104.7, according to the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index. That missed economists' expectations for the score to hit 112.9 and represented a steep drop from November's reading of 112.8.
Lastly, sales of new homes rose 5.9% last month to a seasonally adjusted annualized units (SAAU) rate of 664,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That topped forecasts for 650,000 units, and represented a sharp reversal from the prior month.
Tech stocks led the charge Monday, especially members of the Magnificent 7.
Nvidia (NVDA, +3.7%), Alphabet (GOOGL, +1.7%), Tesla (TSLA, +2.3%) and Meta Platforms (META, +2.5) helped prop up the cap-weighted benchmarks. Semiconductor stock Broadcom (AVGO, +5.5%) also chipped in.
At the closing bell, the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2% to 42,906, while the broader S&P 500 gained 0.7% to 5,974. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 1% to 19,764.
Are high-yield dividend stocks safe?
Dividend investors should know that blindly buying stocks with the highest dividend yields can be a dangerous game. Indeed, an unusually high dividend yield is often a warning sign. That's because stock prices and dividend yields move in opposite directions. It's possible that a too-good-to-be-true dividend yield is simply an effect of a stock having lost a lot of value.
And anytime a company's stock is slumping badly, it's worth wondering if its dividend is sustainable at current levels.
S&P 500 components suspend or cut their dividends sometimes. It's a sad fact of investing life. Even the best stocks for dependable dividend growth can occasionally let a long-term income investor down.
That said, the stocks in the S&P 500 with the highest dividend yields include some Buy-rated blue chips. Verizon Communications (VZ), one of Wall Street's top Dow Jones stocks, has raised its dividend annually for two decades. Meanwhile, Pfizer (PFE) has a 15-year track record of consecutive hikes to its payout.
Sometimes a high dividend yield is indeed too good to be true. But Wall Street analysts say some of the top-yielding stocks in the benchmark index are high-conviction Buys. Take a closer look at what the Street has to say about the S&P 500 dividend stocks with the highest dividend yields.
Related content
- Stocks With the Highest Dividend Yields in the S&P 500
- Analysts' Top S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now
- Fed Sees Fewer Rate Cuts in 2025: What the Experts Are Saying
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Dan Burrows is Kiplinger's senior investing writer, having joined the publication full time in 2016.
A long-time financial journalist, Dan is a veteran of MarketWatch, CBS MoneyWatch, SmartMoney, InvestorPlace, DailyFinance and other tier 1 national publications. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Consumer Reports and his stories have appeared in the New York Daily News, the San Jose Mercury News and Investor's Business Daily, among many other outlets. As a senior writer at AOL's DailyFinance, Dan reported market news from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Once upon a time – before his days as a financial reporter and assistant financial editor at legendary fashion trade paper Women's Wear Daily – Dan worked for Spy magazine, scribbled away at Time Inc. and contributed to Maxim magazine back when lad mags were a thing. He's also written for Esquire magazine's Dubious Achievements Awards.
In his current role at Kiplinger, Dan writes about markets and macroeconomics.
Dan holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree from Columbia University.
Disclosure: Dan does not trade individual stocks or securities. He is eternally long the U.S equity market, primarily through tax-advantaged accounts.
-
Callable CDs Have High Rates. We Still Don't Recommend You Get Them
Investors must carefully consider the trade-offs, as falling interest rates could lead to reinvestment at a lower yield and make selling on the secondary market difficult.
-
High Mortgage Rates Are Holding My Retirement Hostage: Can I Still Downsize and Retire?
We ask retirement wealth advisers what to do.
-
Callable CDs Have High Rates: We Still Don't Recommend You Get Them
Investors must carefully consider the trade-offs, as falling interest rates could lead to reinvestment at a lower yield and make selling on the secondary market difficult.
-
Five Big Beautiful Bill Changes and How Wealthy Retirees Can Benefit
Here's how wealthy retirees can plan for the changes in the new tax legislation, including what it means for tax rates, the SALT cap, charitable giving, estate taxes and other deductions and credits.
-
Portfolio Manager Busts Five Myths About International Investing
These common misconceptions lead many investors to overlook international markets, but embracing global diversification can enhance portfolio resilience and unlock long-term growth.
-
Stock Market Today: Nasdaq Hits a New High as Nvidia Soars
A big day for Nvidia boosted the Nasdaq, but bank stocks created headwinds for the S&P 500.
-
June CPI Signals Tariff Impact: What the Experts Say
The June CPI report shows that inflation is accelerating, but at a pace that's in line with economists' expectations.
-
I'm a Financial Planner: Here Are Five Smart Moves for DIY Investors
You'll go further as a DIY investor with a solid game plan. Here are five tips to help you put together a strategy you can rely on over the years to come.
-
Neglecting Car Maintenance Could Cost You More Than a Repair, Especially in the Summer
Worn, underinflated tires and other degraded car parts can fail in extreme heat, causing accidents. If your employer is ignoring needed repairs on company cars, there's something employees can do.
-
'Drivers License': A Wealth Strategist Helps Gen Z Hit the Road
From student loan debt to a changing job market, this generation has some potholes to navigate. But with those challenges come opportunities.