The main US stock indices declined moderately on the last trading day of 2017. However, the strengthening of the global economy, solid profit results and low interest rates helped the S & P 500 index to soar about 20% this year, as well as to feed the rally in global stock markets. The result of the Dow Jones index was even more impressive - about + 25% per year. It is expected that the rally will continue in 2018, if expectations are justified regarding the favorable impact of the new tax legislation, which reduces the tax burden for US companies.

Quotes of oil have moderately grown, and reached the highest level since mid-2015, which was helped by the weakening of the US dollar and yesterday's data from the US Energy Ministry, which pointed to a decline in production and a drop in crude oil stocks. The US Energy Ministry said that in the week of December 16-22, US oil production fell to 9.754 million barrels a day from 9.789 million barrels a day in the previous week.

Most components of the DOW index finished trading in the red (21 out of 30). Outsider - Apple Inc. (AAPL, -0.90%). The growth leader is General Electric (GE, + 0.86%).

Most S & P sectors recorded a decline. The health sector showed the greatest decline (-0.4%). The conglomerate sector grew most (+ 0.5%).

At closing:

Dow -0.48% 24,719.22 -118.29

Nasdaq -0.67% 6.903.39 -46.77

S & P -0.52% 2,673.63 -13.91

U.S. stock-index futures signaled higher open on Friday, the final trading day of 2017.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 22,764.94 -19.04 -0.08%

Hang Seng 29,919.15 +55.44 +0.19%

Shanghai 3,307.97 +11.59 +0.35%

S&P/ASX 6,065.10 -23.00 -0.38%

FTSE 7,687.77 +64.89 +0.85%

CAC 5,333.80 -5.62 -0.11%

DAX 12,917.64 -62.30 -0.48%

Crude $60.15 (+0.52%)

Gold $1,301.90 (+0.36%)

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

European stocks ended lower after a thin trading session on Thursday, with few fresh catalysts to inspire investors to send markets higher in the penultimate trading session of the year.

Asian stocks were mostly higher as 2017's last trading day progressed, with Japan rebounding some from weakness late Thursday and tech names in the region continuing to recover from early-week selling.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Thursday logged its 71st record close in 2017, buoyed mostly by gains in bank shares and a slight pick up in energy and materials, as crude-oil prices perked up in seasonally light trading volume.

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei -127.23 22783.98 -0.56%

TOPIX -10.76 1819.03 -0.59%

Hang Seng +266.05 29863.71 +0.90%

CSI 300 +27.69 4018.90 +0.69%

Euro Stoxx 50 -25.86 3524.31 -0.73%

FTSE 100 +2.20 7622.88 +0.03%

DAX -90.08 12979.94 -0.69%

CAC 40 -29.42 5339.42 -0.55%

DJIA +63.21 24837.51 +0.26%

S&P 500 +4.92 2687.54 +0.18%

NASDAQ +10.82 6950.16 +0.16%

S&P/TSX +18.82 16221.95 +0.12%