U.S. stocks hover at record highs in quiet trading after the Christmas holiday

TL;DR

Stock markets were mostly flat on Friday during quiet trading, coinciding with the Santa Claus Rally period.
The Santa Claus Rally, identified by Yale Hirsch in 1972, spans the final trading days of December and the first two of January.
Historically, the S&P 500 has averaged a 1.3% return during this period, with positive results occurring 78% of the time since 1950.
Gold and silver prices continued to climb, with silver rising over 4.5% and gold up 1.1%.
Precious metals have benefited from investors seeking safe havens and expectations of further U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.
Target shares increased by 2% after a report of an activist investor taking a stake.
U.S. crude oil and Brent crude prices fell more than 1%.

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