Wall St near flat; S&P on track to end in black

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were nearly unchanged on Friday, the last trading day of a turbulent year, but the S&P 500 looked set to end with a slight gain. Many market participants stayed on the sidelines, reflecting what is typically ultra-light volume for the year's last session. Volume this week has been about half the daily average, with many traders away for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The anemic action has amplified moves in both directions. The CBOE VIX volatility index is up about 30 percent for the year, the first increase since 2008. ...