US open: Flat start to trading in last session of the year
Trading began with some mixed results at the open on Tuesday after stocks dropped from their all-time highs in the previous session.
As of 1455 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.04% at 28,472.67, while the S&P 500 was flat on 3,221.37 and the Nasdaq Composite was ahead 0.13% at 8,957.83.
The Dow opened just 10.53 points firmer on Tuesday following on from when shares headed south on Monday as investors claimed profits from some of the year's biggest gainers.
Tuesday's focus looked set to remain on international trade and political developments, with the US set to sign their so-called "phase one" trade deal with China at the White House on 15 January.
Also in focus was a tweet from the President that stated Iran was responsible for an attack on the US embassy in the Middle East nation.
Donald Trump said: "Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!"
On the data front, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city index rose 2.2% in October. On a monthly basis, the index increased 0.1% month-on-month.
At the national level, home prices were up year-on-year by 3.3% - representing an increase from September's annual rate of home-price appreciation.
Still to come, consumer confidence numbers will be posted at 1500 GMT.
No corporate earnings were scheduled for release on the last day of the year.