Existing home sales dropped 4.6 percent to 6.06 million units in November, marking the second straight month of decline, according to the National Association of Realtors. The November figure was at its lowest level since June.

As for the National Association of Purchasing Management of Chicago, it reported that its key purchasing management index fell to 59.2 from 64.1 posted in November. The Chicago data is often viewed as the leading indicator for manufacturing data across the nation. The Institute for Supply Management will be issuing its national survey on Friday.

Meanwhile, the New York-based Conference Board reported that its December consumer confidence index dropped to 91.3 from 92.5 the previous month, while the present situation index fell to 73.9 from 81.0, even though many analysts had expected the numbers to have improved at the year-end.