Markets close flat before holiday

NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. markets were flat Thursday, the day before a holiday break, as the Commerce Department said durable goods orders were weaker than expected in November.

New orders for goods expected to last three years or more -- cars, refrigerators, riding lawn mowers and the like -- dropped 1.3 percent to $193.7 billion. Economists had expected a drop of 0.5 percent.

By close of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average added 14.00 points or 0.12 percent to 11,573.49. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 2.07 or 0.16 percent to 1,256.77. The Nasdaq composite index of tech-dominated stock shed 5.88 or 0.22 percent to 2,665.60.

On the New York Stock Exchange, 1,422 stocks advanced and 1,529 stocks declined on a volume of 3.3 billion shares traded.

The benchmark 10-year treasury note lost 13/32 to yield 3.397 percent.

The euro rose to $1.3116 from Wednesday's $1.3099. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 82.94 yen from Wednesday's 83.54 yen.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index shed 0.23 percent, 24.05, to 10,346.48.

In London, the FTSE 100 index added 0.21 pecent, 12.58, to 5,996.07.