U.S. stocks were little changed Wednesday a day after the major averages rebounded from a three-day losing streak spurred by fears about the omicron COVID variant.
The Dow Jones Industrials grabbed 64.42 points to open Wednesday at 35,557.12
The S&P 500 index gained 13.1 points to 4,661.62,
The NASDAQ climbed 44.26 points at 15,385.34.
Trading is expected to be thin for the remainder of the week ahead of the holidays.
Caterpillar rose 1.5% after Bernstein upgraded the stock, saying the machinery maker will be a key beneficiary of a rebound in global growth.
Tesla shares gained 3% after Elon Musk said in a podcast that he had reached his goal of selling 10% of his shares for tax reasons.
December, normally the calmest month for markets, has so far been the most volatile month of 2021, according to Bespoke Investment Group that looked at the S&P 500's average absolute daily change since 1953.
Prices for 10-year were unchanged, keeping yields at Tuesday's 1.47%.
Oil prices tacked on 24 cents to $71.36 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices brightened $4.30 to $1,793.00 U.S. an ounce.