STOCKS DO NOTHING: Here's what you need to know

Stocks did virtually nothing leading into the holiday weekend.All major indicesmanaged to scrape into the green, but still finished little changed.From all of us on the Business Insider Markets team, we wish you and your family a happy holidays.And now, for the scoreboard:Dow: 19,933.81, +14.93, (+0.07%)S&P 500: 2,263.79, +2.83, (+0.%)Nasdaq: 5,462.69, +15.27, (+0.28%)US 10-year yield:2.543%, -0.0081. US consumer confidence jumps to a 13-year high.The monthly consumer sentiment index increased to98.2, the highest level since January 2004, from a preliminary reading of 98.However, the index's improvement slowed compared to the immediate post-election jump in November and early December, suggesting that the honeymoon enthusiasm may be fading.2. New home sales jumped more than expected.New home sales climbedby 5.2%at a seasonally adjusted rate of 592,000in November, according to the Census Bureau.3. Oil rig count rises for the 8th straight week.The US rig count jumped by 13 to 523 this week, according to oilfield-services company Baker Hughes.The oil rig count is about 13rigs away from recovering all the losses recorded this year.4. Traders are bracing for a wild start to 2017.The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (or the VIX) which shows expectations of near-term volatility based on S&P 500 index option prices, fell to the lowest intraday level in over a year on Tuesday. But asBloomberg noted,the CBOE's gauge of volatility in the next three months relative to the VIX, which has a one-month horizon, is at the highest level since August 2012. Both indexes don't reflect wagers for a market decline, but for increased activity.ADDITIONALLY:The stock market is about to do something for the first time since 1982and it's bullish.The chief economist of an $82 billion asset manager talks Trump, China, and his outlook for 2017.HARRY DENT: I'm not a bull!New York City's 11 best oyster happy hours.SEE ALSO:Legendary physicist Freeman Dyson talks about math, nuclear rockets, and astounding things about the universeJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Watch Yellen explain why the Federal Reserve decides to raise rates
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