According to final results at the close, the Dow Jones index dropped 0.25% to 36,398.08 points, after six consecutive sessions of increase.

The S&P 500 dropped 0.30% to 4,778.73 points and the Nasdaq, with a strong technological coloring, fell 0.16% to 15,741.56 points.

In the market between Christmas and New Years, the low volume of trade amplified the movements of the indices, noted analysts.

Despite the slight decline on Thursday, the end of the year week so far respects the stock market tradition of the "Santa Claus' Leap" (Santa Claus rally).

She wants the market to have been up 80% of the time for 80 years in the last calendar week.

Over the year so far, the flagship index has climbed 19.2%, the S&P 500 has jumped 27.7% and the Nasdaq by 22.7%.

“Obviously 2021 has been a great year for stocks,” said Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital.

Thursday, "the macroeconomic news was good", added the analyst which supported the market in session.

"The activity index for the Chicago area took two points and above all there was a sharp drop in jobless claims over four weeks," the lowest recorded in 50 years, said Peter Cardillo, which is favorable to the labor market and the economy.

In general, "the markets are showing a certain resilience in the face of expectations of a Fed rate hike and in the face of persistent inflationary pressures, while focusing on the lower severity of the Omicron variant rather than on its high. transmissibility ", argued Schwab analysts.

Bond yields eased somewhat to 1.50% from 1.54% the previous day for 10-year Treasuries in a very thin market.

The titles of the American laboratory Biogen (-7.09%, 240 dollars), specializing in particular in neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, lost part of the ground gained the day before after the Korean group Samsung denied, in an official document in Korea according to the press, to be in negotiations for the acquisition of Biogen.

Wednesday Biogen had climbed 9.5% on press information valuing the group at $ 42 billion in this operation.

The title of Teva Pharmaceutical, listed in New York, dropped 6.29% to 7.90 dollars after the American subsidiary of the Israeli group was found responsible by a jury in the opioid crisis in New York State.

The laboratory has indicated that it wants to appeal.

Shares of New York-based airline JetBlue fell 0.97% to $ 14.24 after announcing it was canceling 1,280 flights until January 13 because of infected personnel.

Memory card maker Micron Technology fell 2.97% to $ 93.89 after reporting a production delay at its Xi'an plant in China due to containment measures.

Tesla shed 1.46% to $ 1,070.34 after nearly half a million Model 3 and Model S were recalled in the United States over problems with vehicle trunks.

Victims of the spread of the Omicron variant, cruise passengers plunged further lower after U.S. health officials (CDC) recommended avoiding cruises, including for those vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean dropped 1.11%, Norwegian Cruise 2.59% and Carnival dropped 1.25%.

© 2021 AFP