Stocks pull lower at end of record year for markets

Stock markets mostly retreated on the last trading day of 2025, following a year of record gains for key assets as central banks cut interest rates and the tech sector boomed thanks to the growth of artificial intelligence.

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Traders sit in front of a board displaying the chart of Germany's share index DAX at the stock exchange in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the last day of 2025 trading.

Wall Street’s main indexes dipped to close the final trading day of 2025, with little fresh economic data apart from a drop in both first-time and continuing claims for jobless benefits in recent weeks.

Still, all three indexes logged solid gains for the full year.

The Dow added 13 percent in 2025, the broad-based S&P 500 advanced by 16.4 percent and the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite surged by 20.4 percent over the year.

"Generally speaking, 2025 was a spectacular year for equities,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.