Dow Jones jumps 176 points as Santa arrives on Wall Street

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks made a modest advance in a low-volume trading pre-Christmas trading session on Friday.

The gains came despite a deterioration on the inflation front through a slightly higher core personal expenditures price index came in higher than expected.

"Today, investors have to contend with a weaker-than-expected reading for durable orders that was offset by a softer-than-expected re