Stocks closed mostly higher Wednesday, a day after the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 18,000 for the first time. Investors were encouraged by the latest positive news on the U.S. economy. Trading ended early ahead of the Christmas holiday, AP reported. On Wednesday: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 6.04 points, or 0.03 percent, to 18,030.21. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 0.29 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,081.88. The Nasdaq composite gained 8.05 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,773.47. For the week: The Dow is up 225.41 points, or 1.3 percent. The S&P 500 index is up 11.23 points, or 0.5 percent. The Nasdaq is up 8.09 points, or 0.2 percent. For the year: The Dow is up 1,453.55 points, or 8.8 percent. The S&P 500 index is up 233.52 points, or 12.6 percent. The Nasdaq is up 596.88 points, or 14.3 percent. -- SPA 22:24 LOCAL TIME 19:24 GMT تغريد
