04:50 PM EST, 12/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes closed mixed Thursday as trading resumed following the Christmas holiday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% to 43,325.8, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1% to 20,020.4. The S&P 500 was little changed at 6,037.6. US markets were closed Wednesday for Christmas. For the week so far, all three indexes are showing gains.

The effect of a so-called Santa rally in the US stock market could reverse early next year amid the prospect of new trade policies or tariffs under the incoming Trump administration, Saxo Bank said. The S&P 500 has traded up 78% of the time during the Santa rally period since 1950, increasing 1.3% on average, the firm said.

The Santa rally refers to the tendency for stock markets to move higher during the last week of December and the first two trading days of January, according to Saxo Bank.

Among sectors, financials and health care led the gainers Thursday, while consumer discretionary saw the steepest decline.

In economic news, US retail sales increased more than expected during the holiday season and came in above last year's growth pace, according to preliminary data from a Mastercard ( MA ) report.

"The holiday shopping season revealed a consumer who is willing and able to spend but driven by a search for value as can be seen by concentrated e-commerce spending during the biggest promotional periods," Mastercard Economics Institute Chief Economist Michelle Meyer said. "Solid spending during this holiday season underscores the strength we observed from the consumer all year, supported by the healthy labor market and household wealth gains."

Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US unexpectedly declined last week, while continuing claims rose to their highest level since November 2021, government data showed.

"There is likely still some overhanging impact from the seasonality issues surrounding Thanksgiving, especially in continuing claims," Jefferies said.

The US 10- and two-year yields were little changed at 4.59% and 4.33%, respectively, Thursday.

In company news, Starbucks ( SBUX ) employees returned to work Wednesday after a five-day strike in which the Starbucks Workers United union claimed baristas in 43 states walked off the job, closing hundreds of stores. The coffee chain's shares rose 2.2%, among the top gainers on the Nasdaq.

Broadcom ( AVGO ) was among the best performers on the Nasdaq, up 2.4%.

Electric vehicle maker Tesla's (TSLA) shares fell 1.8%, the second-steepest decline on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.

Uniform supplier Cintas ( CTAS ) was among the worst performers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, down 1.7%.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil dropped 0.7% to $69.6 a barrel.

Gold rose 0.7% to $2,653.70 per troy ounce, while silver added 0.4% to $30.42 per ounce.