The major indexes finished mixed on Monday as a lack of economic news led to little movement in stocks. On Tuesday it was much of the same, with small gains managed by the Dow and S&P 500 on positive December retail sales numbers. The Dow’s five day winning streak ended on Wednesday. Still, losses were light, and the S&P 500 and NASDAQ had small gains. On Thursday the Dow rallied close to a 5-year high on news that the House is considering a plan to not oppose a short-term increase in the debt ceiling. US housing starts for December also rose more than expected. The Dow finally set a 5-year high on Friday as debt ceiling progress encouraged investors to buy more, at least in the short-term.
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