On this last trading day of the year, investors appear to be getting an early start to their New Year's festivities. Volume was extremely low, extending a streak of weak activity throughout the holiday week. The big mover for the day was gold, where February gold futures contracts posted a $36 gain to $1,577 per ounce, reversing a long slump that's lasted throughout December to close the year with a gain of about 8%. As for stocks, around 1:30 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrials
Leading the gainers was Hewlett-Packard
On the downside, energy stocks fell slightly, with Chevron
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