RTRS: Dollar retreats vs. euro in thin market after jump
Stocks edged up on Wednesday during an abbreviated holiday session as investors digested a mixed bag of data to gauge the extent of deterioration in the economy.
* A government report showed U.S. consumers cut spending for the fifth straight month in November and their incomes shrank, pointing to deeper recessionary pressures.
* Other data measuring initial applications for unemployment benefits showed a 30,000 jump last week to a 26-year high of 586,000 versus 556,000 in the prior week.
* The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI added 28.52 points, or 0.34 percent, at 8,448.01. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX rose 1.58 points, or 0.18 percent, at 864.74. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC edged up 2.06 points, or 0.14 percent, at 1,523.60.
