The markets started the week on a positive note with Energy and Telecom stocks posting slight gains ahead of the December Federal Reserve meeting. The good news continued Tuesday as Energy stocks stepped up on a rebound in crude oil. Consumer prices held steady in November, as the Consumer Price Index was unchanged last month after climbing 0.2% in October. Discounting food and energy prices, the CPI jumped up 0.2% in November. The week’s rally continued on Wednesday when stocks stepped up on news from the December Federal Reserve meeting where policymakers boosted the benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to between 0.25% and 0.50%. On another note, Energy stocks traded lower on a dip in crude oil. The markets closed trading at session low levels on Thursday. Labor Department data showed initial jobless claims decreased by 11,000 to 271,000 last week, while continuing claims fell by 7,000 to 2.238 million. The slip continued on Friday when the market closed at session lows. Stocks declined amid another downswing in oil.
