Dow posts 51st closing record of 2013
The Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were flat in early trading.
Trading volumes are expected to be low this week as many investors and traders take time off work. U.S. markets will be closed Wednesday for New Year's Day.
Stocks ended little changed Friday but they're capping off a stellar year.
All three indexes have risen more than 25% in 2013. The Dow is on track for its biggest annual gain since 1996 and the S&P 500 is on pace for its strongest year since 1997.
Crocs shares surged after private equity firm Blackstone Group agreed to invest about $200 million in the company. Crocs also announced a $350 million stock buyback and said CEO John McCarvel was retiring.
Shares of Alcoa edged lower amid reports that Ford will reveal in January that it will start using military grade Alcoa metal in its best-selling F-150 pickups.
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Cooper Tire & Rubber canceled plans to be bought by India-based Apollo Tyres for $2.5 billion. The companies announced the deal in June, but Cooper said Apollo breached the agreement and that its financing fell through.
On the international front, European markets were relatively flat in morning trading. A controversial 'millionaire tax' is set to become law in France, where the government will levy a 75% tax on companies that pay salaries in excess of €1 million.
Japan's Nikkei closed the year on a high note, rising 0.7%. Tokyo stocks have soared this year as prime minister Shinzo Abe unleashed a massive monetary and fiscal stimulus program.
The Nikkei surged 57% over the past 12 months, the biggest annual gain since 1972, said Emily Nicol, an analyst at Daiwa Capital Markets. The gains make Japan one of the top performing global markets. Japanese stocks have been supported by a weak yen, which has helped Japanese exporters. The yen fell through ¥105 versus the dollar for the first time since 2008. 
First Published: December 30, 2013: 9:42 AM ET
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