Stocks close slightly lower in quiet post-Christmas trading

Market Overview - Stocks closed slightly lower on Friday, with the S&P 500 index down 2.11 points to 6,929.94, the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 20.19 points to 48,710.97, and the Nasdaq composite down 20.21 points to 23,593.10 [1] - Trading volume was extremely light as institutional investors were largely closed out of their positions for the year, with trading on the New York Stock Exchange at roughly half of an average day [2] Performance Highlights - The S&P 500 has climbed nearly 18% this year, driven by deregulatory policies from the Trump administration and optimism regarding artificial intelligence [2] - Gold and silver prices continued to rise, with silver increasing nearly 8% to $77.20 an ounce and gold rising 1.1%, as investors sought safe havens outside of stocks and bonds [3] - Shares of Target rose 3.1% following reports of an activist investor taking a stake in the company [4] Commodity and Bond Market - U.S. crude oil fell 2.8% and Brent crude fell 2.6% [4] - Treasury yields remained steady, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note edging down to 4.13% [5]