Though a Santa Claus rally never came to fruition, today's attempt at a New Year's resolution rally pushed the Dow up 345 points, with Walt Disney (DIS) and Apple (AAPL) leading the charge. The Nasdaq secured a triple-digit win as well, while the S&P 500 tacked on 1.7%, with both indexes scoring their best day of December. As the year winds down, however, it's worth noting that stocks are still headed for their worst year since 2008. 

GOLD LOOKING TO FINISH YEAR NEAR SIX-MONTH HIGHS

Oil prices settled as Covid concerns in China dampened optimism over commodity demand. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for January delivery lost 84 cents, or 1.1% to settle at $78.12 per barrel.

Gold prices settled higher today. February-dated gold rose $10.20, or 0.6%, to settle at $1,826 per ounce, just short of six-month highs.

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