Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly lower, with most world markets closed for Christmas
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Shares slipped in Tokyo and Shanghai on Wednesday, two of only a handful of world markets open on Christmas day. Oil prices rose. Japan's Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1% lower to 38,997.02, while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2% to 3,387.41. Thursday will bring a weekly update on U.S. unemployment benefits.
Also early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil was up 93 cents at $70.17 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 6 cents to $73.23 per barrel. The dollar rose to 157.37 Japanese yen from 157.11 yen. The euro rose to $1.0431 from $1.0397.
On Tuesday, stocks closed higher on Wall Street in a shortened holiday session. Gains in Big Tech stocks helped the S&P 500 to a 1.1% gain, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%. Advancers outnumbered decliners by more than 3-to-1 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Broadcom rose 3.2%, Apple gained 1.1% and Amazon closed 1.8% higher. Super Micro Computer climbed 6%. Tesla jumped 7.4% for the biggest gains among S&P 500 stocks. American Airlines shook off an early loss and ended with a 0.6% gain after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue.
Elsewhere in the market, U.S. Steel rose 1.9% a day after an influential government panel failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of the nearly $15 billion proposed sale to Nippon Steel of Japan. NeueHealth surged 74.9% after the health care company agreed to be taken private in a deal valued at roughly $1.3 billion.
