ISTANBUL
The New York stock market ended the day before the Christmas holiday on a high note, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes hitting record highs at the close.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6%, or 288.75 points, to close at 48,731.16.
The Nasdaq increased 0.22%, or 51.46 points, to 23,613.31, while the S&P 500 earned 0.32%, or 22.26 points, to reach 6,932.05.
The Volatility Index (VIX), also known as the "fear index," dropped 3.79% to 13.47.
The New York Stock Exchange, which closed early on Wednesday due to the Christmas holiday, will remain closed on Thursday.
Following mixed economic data in the US, expectations that the Fed will further cut interest rates next year remained intact, while stock markets saw positive momentum on Christmas Eve.
Data released on Tuesday showed that the US economy recorded its fastest growth in two years in the third quarter, while consumer confidence fell in December.
Wednesday's data indicated that the number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time fell by 10,000 to 214,000 in the week ending Dec. 20, falling short of expectations.
On the corporate side, Nike shares gained 4.6% after Apple CEO Tim Cook purchased approximately $3 million worth of shares.
Intel shares fell 0.5% after news that Nvidia had stopped testing Intel's 18A chip manufacturing process.