Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during the initial public offering of Gain Capital Holdings Inc.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. REUTERS

Stocks finished essentially flat in listless pre-holiday trading amidst low volume and a dearth of economic data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 13.78 points, or 0.12 percent, to 11,478.13. The S&P 500 index edged up 3.17 points, or 0.25 percent, to 1,247.08. The Nasdaq composite climbed 6.59 points, or 0.25 percent, to 2,649.56.

American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) dropped 3.43 percent after Stifel Nicolaus downgraded stocks on worries over the potential negative impact from new rules proposed by the Federal Reserve on debit-card transactions.

Bonds fell as the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond moved up to 3.35 percent from 3.33 percent late Friday.

Oil futures climbed to $88.70 per barrel.

European/UK indices rose.

Federal reserve Nyse Dow jones American Express