Stocks Mixed on Housing News

The markets were mixed in a volatile session today, with the Dow ending just slightly higher after more bad news from the housing sector erased an early-morning 100-point rally, Marketwatch reports. The Dow rose 6.26 to close at 13,365.87, and the S&P 500 climbed 2.12 to 1,478.49, but the Nasdaq fell 2.33 to 2,674.46.

The Commerce Department announced that sales of new homes in November fell much more than expected, and the bad news was "the turning point and pushed [the market] lower," a Deutsche Bank expert told MarketWatch, noting the markets were sensitive due to light post-holiday trading volume. “We're still looking at an economy that's growing at a slower rate, but still growing," he said. (More Dow Jones stories.)