The markets traded mixed during the midday with the Dow gaining 44 points to 23,421 while Nasdaq lost 16 points to 6,711.
Walmart unveiled plans to host in-store parties during the holiday shopping season in order to lure customers to its brick and mortar Supercenters. As consumers increasingly shop online, the world's largest retailer will create experiences in real life for the whole family including toy events for children. Walmart workers will also be available to help customers pick up items that they ordered online.
Starbucks holiday cups arrived in stores today to continue a tradition that began in 1997. Unlike previous designs, this year's cups are mostly white with touches of red and green highlighting the black and white graphics. Customers are encouraged to personalize their cups by using colored pencils that are available onsite.
Facebook has increased the number of Americans who may have seen inflammatory posts by Russian agents during the 2016 presidential campaign from 126 million to 146 million. The social media giant had previously revealed that 126 million Americans may have been impacted by the posts. Facebook now said that an additional 20 million people may have seen posts on Instagram.
In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of nearly 6 to 5 on the NYSE while decliners edged out advancers by more than 6 to 5 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 rose 4 points to 2,579. Bitcoin soared $215 to $6,607.
