Stocks Move Higher as 2025 Trading Gets Underway After a Weak Finish to 2024

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each added 0.4%.

Major stock indexes opened higher Thursday as 2025 trading begins following a weak finish to an otherwise banner year for U.S. equities.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% in early trading, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite each added 0.4%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have entered the new year on a four-session losing streak, while the Dow had its worst month in more than two years in December.

Large-cap tech stocks were mostly higher in early trading, led by a 2% gain for AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA). Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Meta Platforms (META) and Broadcom (AVGO) were also rising.

However, shares of Tesla (TSLA) fell 6% after the EV maker reported disappointing delivery numbers for the fourth quarter. The stock has now declined for five consecutive sessions, giving up 18% over that stretch. Tesla shares had soared following the presidential election amid investor optimism that CEO Elon Musk's close relationship with President-elect Trump will benefit the EV maker.

Shares of Apple (AAPL), which last week was on the cusp of becoming the first company ever to surpass $4 trillion in market capitalization, declined 2% this morning.

Crypto-related stocks were gaining ground Thursday as the price of bitcoin rose. Shares of MicroStrategy (MSTR), a software company that has become one of the world's largest holders of bitcoin, rose 4%, while shares of crypto trading platform Coinbase Global (COIN) added 3%.

Bitcoin was trading at $96,500, up from an overnight low of around $94,000 but well below its mid-December all-time high of $108,000.

The yield on 10-year Treasurys, which correlates with expectations about where interest rates are headed, was at 4.56%, down from its previous close of 4.58%.

Gold futures were up 1% at $2,665 an ounce, while crude oil futures gained more than 2%.