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Updated at 4:37 PM EST
Stocks finished mixed Thursday, the Dow barely getting into the green, as investors hit pause on the early Santa Claus rally.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 28.77 points, or 0.07%, to end the session at 43,325.80 and post its five straight winning day, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.04% to close at 6,037.59 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.05% finish the day at 20,020.36.
Updated at 11:07 AM EST
Apple $4T!
Apple (AAPL) shares edged closer to the $4 trillion valuation mark in early trading following a price target upgrade from Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.
We believe Apple is heading into a multi-year AI driven iPhone upgrade cycle that is still being underestimated by the Street," Ives argued in a note that included a $25 price target boost on the stock, taking it to $325 per share.
Apple shares were marked 0.1% higher in early Thursday trading to change hands at $258.50, a level that would peg the stock's market value at just over $3.91 trillion.
Related: Top analyst revisits Apple stock price target on march to $4 trillion
Updated at 9:37 AM EST
Red open
The S&P 500 was marked 16 points, or 0.25% lower in the opening minutes of trading, with the Nasdaq down 44 points, or 0.22%.
The Dow fell 140 points while the mid-cap Russell 2000 retreated 15 points, or 0.65%.
Updated at 8:44 AM EST
Labor strength
Jobless claims edged lower last week, Labor Department data indicated Thursday, with around 219,000 Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits over the period ending on December 21.
That takes the four-week average to 226,500 and the continued claims tally to 1.91 million.
Treasury yields remained higher following the data, with 10-year notes pegged at 4.635% and 2-year notes trading at 4.361%.
Stock Market Today
Stocks are riding firm holiday gains so far this year, with the S&P 500 rising 1.1% over the shortened Christmas Eve session. Outsized gains for megacap tech stocks, as well as Apple's (AAPL) run toward a $4 trillion valuation, offset another move higher in Treasury yields that could define markets over the coming year.