U.S. MARKETS

摘要

While the European debt crisis weighed heavily on international investors, better-than-expected economic data out of the U.S. drove a pre-holiday rally in U.S. equities. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits hit a three-and-a-half year low in the week before Christmas, while consumer sentiment climbed to a six-month high in December. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 113.98 points, or 0.94%, to close the Dec. 21-30 trading period at 12,217.56 points, while the S&P 500 Index rose 16.3 points, or 1.31%, to finish at 1,257.60 points. The price of gold fell from 1,615.20 US dollars per oz. on Dec. 20 to 1,566.40 US dollars on Dec. 30, taking the Philadelphia Gold and Silver Index down 4.76 points, or 2.57%, to 180.64 points.