S&P 500 closes flat | Trump vetoes defense bill | Just 1 million vaccinations

Stocks largely shrugged off Trump's criticism of the new Covid-19 relief package, a move that could delay the deployment of funds to struggling Americans.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE WED, DEC 23, 2020 EVENING BRIEF AS OF WED, DEC 23, 2020 • 04:22 ET DJIA 30129.83 +0.38% +114.32 S&P 500 3690.01 +0.07% +2.75 NASDAQ 12771.11 -0.29% -36.80   Most Active DOW NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 130.96 -0.92 -0.70% INTC 46.57 +0.40 +0.87% MSFT 221.02 -2.92 -1.30% S&P 500 NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 130.96 -0.92 -0.70% AAL 15.89 +0.41 +2.65% GE 10.86 +0.25 +2.36% NASDAQ NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 130.96 -0.92 -0.70% MRNA 130.34 +4.46 +3.54% TSLA 645.98 +5.64 +0.88%   EDITOR'S NOTE The stock market appears to be calling President Donald Trump's bluff.   The S&P 500 was steady following three straight days of losses Wednesday, shaking off Trump's abrupt demand for changes in the Covid-19 relief package. The Dow industrials added 114 points as cyclical sectors, including energy, financials and materials continued their late 2020 comeback.   "It feels like the market is following the rule of 'watch what he does, not what he says' in terms of the President's late night drive-by shooting of the Covid aid package," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities. "Odds are there is enough time to tweak the relief legislation enough to get it passed and signed." Also on Wednesday, a better-than-expected reading on U.S. weekly jobless claims helped support sentiment.   The number of first-time unemployment-benefits filers decelerated to 803,000 in the week ended Dec. 19. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected initial claims to rise to 888,000.   Still, a total of 20.4 million Americans were receiving some kind of unemployment benefits through Dec. 5, the Labor Department said. Yun Li | CNBC Markets and Investing Reporter @YunLi626 TOP NEWS  S&P 500 closes flat, giving up most of the gains in the final minutes of trading Trump's attack on Covid relief bill could lead to government shutdown, lapse in unemployment aid The U.S. has vaccinated just 1 million people out of a goal of 20 million for December Trump vetoes colossal $740 billion defense bill, breaking with Republican-led Senate Pfizer to supply U.S. with 100 million more Covid shots by July Texas breaks from CDC in vaccinating elderly over police and teachers as states set own priorities for rationing Covid shots Three things traders must know into year-end to maximize their returns for 2020 New Jersey is latest state to join Supreme Court battle over income taxes on remote workers Nearly 4 in 10 Americans do not want to take the Covid vaccine. HHS is planning to spend $250 million to convince the U.S. it is safe Miami's commercial real estate boom picks up steam as pandemic pushes companies to seek new digs   TOP VIDEO Nearly one billion hotel rooms have gone unsold during the pandemic   CNBC PRO Cathie Wood's ARK Innovation becomes largest actively managed ETF, amid 170% 2020 return   SPECIAL REPORTS These five stocks priced at less than $25 have outperformed the market this quarter Retirement savings on track? How to make sure you're prepared for other goals, too   Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS