NEW YORK - US stock indices ended mixed on Friday, the first trading day of 2026, as Wall Street resumed activity following the New Year's holiday and built cautiously on the previous year's strong gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.66 percent to 48,382.39. The S&P 500 added 0.19 percent to 6,858.47. The Nasdaq Composite Index edged down 0.03 percent to 23,235.63.

Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors closed higher, led by energy and industrials with advances of 2.09 percent and 1.88 percent, respectively, while consumer discretionary and communication services lagged, declining 1.14 percent and 0.38 percent.

Market participants expressed broad optimism for 2026, with most Wall Street forecasts tracked by Bloomberg anticipating a fourth straight year of equity gains, supported by resilient corporate earnings and expectations for gradual monetary-policy easing.

Semiconductor stocks provided support, with Nvidia gaining more than 1 percent and Micron Technology surging over 10 percent, extending their strong performance from 2025.

US-listed shares of Chinese technology firm Baidu jumped 15.03 percent after its AI chip subsidiary, Kunlunxin, filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong, reflecting growing investor interest in China's domestic semiconductor development.

Tesla fell 2.59 percent following the release of delivery figures for the fourth quarter of 2025 that fell short of analyst estimates, amid a broader slowdown in electric-vehicle demand after the expiration of federal tax credits.