The U.S. labor market ended 2024 on a high note, with employers adding 256,000 jobs in December. This exceeded expectations and reflected confidence in economic stability. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.

Wall Street is drifting and making smaller moves on Wednesday, a day after strong reports on the economy stirred up worries that inflation and interest rates may stay higher than expected. The S&P 500 was edging down by 0.

U.S. stocks rose after more companies said they made bigger profits at the end of last year than analysts expected and as Treasury yields eased.