Not a creature was stirring Tuesday morning in the markets as investors and traders prepared for the upcoming Christmas break and a shortened trading session.
Stock markets in New York will close at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, and markets will remain closed Wednesday for Christmas Day.
U.S. stock futures made just the slightest gains ahead of the opening bell, indicating Tuesday's truncated trading session could be uneventful.
Trading volumes are typically low in late December with the holidays around the corner, but investors may still need to keep an eye out for economic reports. The U.S. Census Bureau is releasing its latest report on durable goods orders at 8:30 a.m. and will also release data on new home sales for November at 10 a.m.
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While Tuesday is expected to be a tame trading day, markets have certainly made big moves so far this year, with the Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 both climbing 0.5% to new records Monday, while the Nasdaq jumped more than 1% to a fresh 13-year high.
Investors have been feeling increasingly confident about the state of the U.S. economy, helping the main indexes surge by well over 20% throughout 2013. The Dow has pushed ahead by 24% this year, the S&P has advanced by 28% and the Nasdaq has rallied by 37%.
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In European markets, the major indexes were moving higher throughout the morning. Trading in London and Paris is set to close early. Markets in Frankfurt were closed.
In Asia, markets were mixed.
