Stocks did as little work as possible Thursday, as the market slacked off in advance of the Christmas break. The Nasdaq pegged a gain of less than 0.1%, while the S&P 500 eased less than 0.2%. The Dow Jones industrial average trimmed 0.3%. The IBD 50 inched up 0.1%. Volume fell across the board in the shortened session. The market closed at 1 p.m. ET Thursday and will reopen Monday.