The sell-then-buy effect is in gear as we end the year. Sell your losses hard to take losses that will be reflected in your tax liability come 2016, then immediately buy back your favorites out of the stocks you just sold. Nifty, eh?

Blessed are they who expect nothing during holiday weeks, for they shall not be disappointed.

It’s no surprise that on this half day of trading before Christmas, U.S. equities barely moved. The biggest change was in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was down a bit more than 0.25%. About the only market trading higher on the day was gold.