New York stocks showed modest gains amid quiet trading ahead of the Christmas holiday.

The Dow Jones index was 26 points up at 9,229 by 1135 local time (1635 GMT) ahead of the markets lunchtime close.

Broader stock indicators were mixed in thin trading, with many traders skipping the shortened Christmas Eve session altogether.

Technology stocks were slightly lower as some investors took profits after recent gains - the Nasdaq shedding 5 points.

"I think anybody that wanted to do anything this week has already done it," said Peter Coolidge, senior equity trader at Brean Murray & Co. "Yesterday there was thin pre-holiday trading. I'd call today probably even thinner."

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average extended its recent gains by closing up 157.57, or 1.7%, to 9202.03, while the Nasdaq Composite Index surged 51.55, or 2.4%, to a record 2172.54.

Most European markets are closed Thursday and Friday for the Christmas holiday.

London's FTSE-100 closed 4 points, or 0.7%, lower at 5867.2 after a half-day of trading.

Asian markets were mixed. Tokyo's Nikkei average fell 72.72, or 0.5%, to 13706.73 amid continued worries that higher bond yields could hurt Japanese corporate activity and after Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit ratings of seven domestic banks.

Hong Kong shares ended 133.45, or 1.3%, higher at 10292.20, following gains in the US and European markets.