Stocks end higher to start Christmas week Stocks closed the session in positive territory ahead of Christmas Eve, as U.S. new home sales rose again to cap off their best three month stretch since 2007. The averages were already at all-time highs to start the session and there may not be much to reverse the trend in the handful of trading days left in the year given there will be half-days upcoming for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and a market day missed on Wednesday for the Christmas holiday. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., new home sales bounced 1.3% to a 719,000 unit rate in November. Durable goods orders dropped 2.0% in November after rising a downwardly revised 0.2% in October. The Chicago Fed national activity index rose 1.32 points to 0.56 in November. TOP NEWS: Shares of Boeing (BA) were 2.9% higher after the company did what many suspected it may have to do, namely change its CEO. Dennis Muilenburg has resigned from his positions as CEO and Board director at Boeing and that current Chairman, David Calhoun, will be CEO and President. In M&A news, Brookfield Infrastructure (BIP) agreed to acquire Cincinnati Bell (CBB) in a transaction valued at roughly $2.6B, including debt. Pursuant to the agreement, each issued and outstanding share of Cincinnati Bell common stock will be converted into the right to receive $10.50 in cash at closing of the transaction, which is expected to occure by the end of 2020. Cincinnati Bell shares surged 35.4% after the news. Meanwhile, AquaVenture (WAAS) shares jumped 24.5% after it agreed to be acquired by Culligan for $27.10 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at about $1.1B. Earlier today, Tesla (TSLA) shares moved above $420, the price at which CEO Elon Musk famously tweeted once that he had a buyer willing to pay to take the company private. After the price was hit this morning, Musk tweeted, "Whoa ... the stock is so high lol." Shares of Tesla closed at $419.22. In other news, Disney (DIS) shares were in focus after its latest film "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" won the weekend's North American box office grossing $175.5M while earning $373.5M globally. Despite the high gross, the film underperformed compared to its predecessors, as "The Force Awakens" had a $247.9M opening weekend and "The Last Jedi" had a $220M opening weekend. Additionally, the movie didn't meet industry expectations, as Box Office Mojo had estimated an opening weekend of ~$215M. Additionally, BMW (BMWYY) shares fell 1.3% in New York after the Wall Street Journal reported that the SEC is investigating the car maker over its sales practices. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the noteworthy gainers was Intra-Cellular (ITCI), which skyrocketed 193.5% higher after it announced that its CAPLYTA treatment of schizophrenia has been approved by the FDA. Also higher was Lionsgate (LGF.A), which rose 8.3% after Comcast (CMCSA, CMCSK) and Starz said they have entered into a long-term carriage deal. Among the notable losers was Aurora Cannabis (ACB), which slid 10.5% after Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett downgraded the stock from Hold to Buy, saying that last night's news is likely to be seen as Cam Battley "jumping ship from a company that has struggled to support credibility on the back of a number of recent actions." Also lower was Lyft (LYFT), which fell almost 5% after KeyBanc analyst said his data suggests new customer growth is decelerating for the ride-hailing company. INDEXES: The Dow rose 96.44, or 0.34%, to 28,551.53, the Nasdaq gained 20.69, or 0.23%, to 8,945.65, and the S&P 500 advanced 2.79, or 0.087%, to 3,224.01. Symbols: $BA $BIP $CBB $WAAS $TSLA $DIS $BMWYY $ITCI $LGF.A $LGF.B $CMCSA $CMCSK $ACB $LYFTSource: (thefly.com)Disclosure: I may trade in the ticker symbols mentioned, both long or short. My articles represent my personal opinion and analysis and should not be taken as investment advice. Readers should do their own research before making decisions to buy or sell securities. Trading and investing include risks, including loss of principal. If you liked this article, please click the LIKE (thumbs up) button. Feel free to leave any comments, question, or opinions. (Sign-up if you haven't already done so). Follow us/bookmark us and check back occasionally for additional articles or comments on our page... Wild Tiger Trading - start/main page.