Wall Street flat, housing data falls short
Credit: Reuters/Carlo Allegri
A trader is reflected in a screen as he works on the floor of the New York Stock exchange in New York, December 27, 2013.
* The benchmark S&P 500 .SPX has risen 3.7 percent over the past two weeks, the index's best fortnight since July, thanks to the Federal Reserve's decision to begin winding down its stimulus measures on signs of economic improvement.
* The S&P has soared 29.1 percent this year and is on pace for its best yearly performance since 1997, powered largely by the central bank's stimulus measures. The Dow .DJI has jumped 25.8 percent and the Nasdaq .IXIC 37.7 percent this year.
* Investors will eye pending home sales data for November from the National Association of Realtors at 10:00 a.m. (1500 GMT). Economists in a Reuters survey expect a 1.0 percent rise compared with a 0.6 percent fall in the previous month.
* S&P 500 futures rose 1 point and were slightly above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 14 points and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.25 point.
* Markets will close Wednesday for the New Year's holiday, ahead of which trading is expected to be light, with many market participants out of the office. The thin volume could make for greater volatility.
* Shares of Crocs Inc (CROX.O) jumped 13.1 percent to $15.07 in light premarket trading after the shoemaker said its chief executive, John McCarvel, plans to retire in April, and that Blackstone Group LP (BX.N) is making a $200 million investment that will give the private equity firm a 13 percent stake in the company.
* Trina Solar (TSL.N) climbed 6.5 percent to $14 after the company signed an agreement to develop a solar power plant in China.
* European stocks edged higher, consolidating in holiday-thinned trade after two weeks of strong gains that have pulled markets to five-year highs. .EU
* Japanese shares ended a stellar year with a flourish, rising to a six-year peak, as the yen skidded to fresh lows for a third straight session.
(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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