The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 1.58% while the S&P 500 lost 1.12%. The Dow Jones shed 333 points to end the day.

Investors became gloomy on Friday, threatening to derail a long winning streak for stocks, as inflation remained high.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up 66.69 points or 0.2% to end at 42,906.95 for its third straight daily gain, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500 went up 43.22 points or 0.7% to finish at 5,974.07.

The main indexes sold off at the open and stayed lower through the close, putting the Santa Claus rally at risk.

Since the start of 2024, the S&P 500 has never once closed below its 200-day moving average, according to Bespoke Investment Group. Barring a sharp selloff between now and the end of the year, this would be only the 12th time since 1952 that this has happened.

Some of the biggest winners were mega-cap tech stocks, with Tesla up by 6% while Broadcom, Netflix, and Amazon each gained about 2%.

According to the latest Labor Department data, weekly jobless claims fell to 219,000 compared with expectations of 223,000. However continuing claims pointed to a cooling labor market, jumping by 46,000 in the week ending Dec. 14 to 1.91 million, the highest level since November 2021.

Tuesday kicks off a historically merry period for investors, a stretch known familiarly as the Santa Claus rally for the positive stock market returns typically enjoyed during the holiday season, potentially bringing further gains to a largely cheery 2024 for equities.

Kaltbaum Capital Management's Gary Kaltbaum and Scarlet Oak Financial's Frances Newton Stacy give their economic outlook heading into 2025 on 'Your World.'