Stocks quietly finish mixed...Oil prices rising...$4 gas by summer?

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks have ended the year quietly. Volume on the New York Stock Exchange was at one of its lowest levels of the year with many traders taking today off. The Dow rose 8 points to 11,578, while the S&P 500 fell less than a point to 1,258, and the Nasdaq composite fell 10 to 2,653.

NEW YORK (AP) — It was a rocky year on the stock market, but the major indexes all finished 2010 higher. The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 both gained about 14 percent, including dividends, while the Nasdaq rose 18 percent, including dividends.

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices close the year above the $90 a barrel mark. Benchmark crude for February delivery rose $1.54 today to settle at $91.38. Analysts say prices are poised for another run at $100 a barrel.

NEW YORK (AP) — Some xperts predict gasoline prices could hit $4 a gallon by summer in parts of the U.S. Oil prices have surged 34 percent since May and finished the year on the rise. Gasoline pump prices now average $3.07 per gallon nationwide.

UNDATED (AP) — Year-end trading finds the U.S. dollar weakening against the euro, pound and yen. The euro rose to about $1.34, while the pound is $1.56. The U.S. and Canadian dollars are just about at par.