US stocks mixed in quiet pre-holiday trading

A strong consumer spending and earnings report failed to fend off the pre-holiday doldrums on Wall Street today as stocks finished an uninspired session mixed. However, the major indexes managed a week of solid gains for the first time in over a month.

Profit-taking following the previous session’s rally kept prices lower as investors took a rare chance to lock in gains. Volume was low in advance of the Memorial Day holiday as well. In addition, some investors were looking forward to next Friday’s key employment figures to further bolster their bullishness.