A volatile trading year ends

CNNMoney reported that U.S. stocks opened slightly lower today, the final trading day of 2011, as investors bid farewell to a volatile year.

CNNMoney reported that U.S. stocks opened slightly lower today, the final trading day of 2011, as investors bid farewell to a volatile year.

U.S. stocks rose Thursday in a thinly traded session as investors focused on signs of strength in the economy before calling it a year. The rebound put the Standard and Poor’s 500 back on track for a modest 0.4 percent gain in 2011, after the broad market index fell sharply on Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 6.1 percent for the year as trading began this morning, but the technology-heavy Nasdaq is set for a 1.5 percent loss.

If stocks manage to end 2011 higher, it will mark the third straight year of gains for the major indexes.

The main reason the Dow is faring better than the S&P this year is simply because it carries fewer financial stocks. Of the 30 components on the Dow, only four are financial. The S&P 500 has 36 financial-related stocks.

CNNMoney reported that U.S. stocks opened slightly lower today, the final trading day of 2011, as investors bid farewell to a volatile year.

U.S. stocks rose Thursday in a thinly traded session as investors focused on signs of strength in the economy before calling it a year. The rebound put the Standard and Poor’s 500 back on track for a modest 0.4 percent gain in 2011, after the broad market index fell sharply on Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 6.1 percent for the year as trading began this morning, but the technology-heavy Nasdaq is set for a 1.5 percent loss.

If stocks manage to end 2011 higher, it will mark the third straight year of gains for the major indexes.

The main reason the Dow is faring better than the S&P this year is simply because it carries fewer financial stocks. Of the 30 components on the Dow, only four are financial. The S&P 500 has 36 financial-related stocks.

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