U.S. stocks on Thursday overcame a lower open to turn positive, though momentum remained weak as Wall Street's attempt to continue a Santa Claus rally came under pressure, after the best Christmas Eve session since 1974.

Yes. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will both operate on half-day schedules, closing at 1 p.m., while bond markets will shut down at 2 p.m., and major U.S. financial markets will stay closed until Thursday’s normal trading session.

Wall Street's main indexes were unchanged on Thursday, amid light trading the day after the Christmas break, as rising yields limited gains in equities, while investors looked for a year-end boost from the so-called Santa Claus rally.