Modest day of trading as Wall Street breaks early for Christmas

Major US stock indexes ended nearly flat after an abbreviated trading session ahead of Christmas Day.

The Nasdaq composite eked out a tiny gain, extending the index’s winning streak to 10 days and nudging it to a record high for the seventh day in a row.

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average finished with tiny losses.

Industrial, health care and communication services stocks were the biggest losers.

Those losses outweigh broad gains for retailers and construction companies.

The market’s modest pullback follows a strong winning streak for stocks that has propelled the major indexes to record highs this month.