SPX has rallied, VIX has fallen, and there’s been general improvement in the U.S. stock market’s internal indicators. Moreover, this is the beginning of another seasonally bullish period — the so-called Santa Claus rally.

The Dow closed slightly higher on Thursday while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 closed lower in the second day of a so-called Santa Claus rally period.

Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street Thursday, as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell less than 0.1% after spending the day wavering between small gains and losses.