12:13 PM EST, 12/24/2024 (MT Newswires) -- All three major US stock indexes were up in late-morning trading Tuesday ahead of an early market close due to the holiday.

In company news, American Airlines ( AAL ) experienced a technical issue on Tuesday that briefly affected its flight operations during one of the busiest travel days of the year. Earlier in the day, a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration showed that American Airlines ( AAL ) had requested a nationwide ground stop for all of its flights. The ground stop, which was later lifted, lasted for about one hour, the company said in a statement. Shares of the company were down 0.4% near noon.

The strike by Starbucks ( SBUX ) union workers' strike is expected to expand to more than 300 stores across the US on Tuesday, amid stalled contract negotiations. Over 5,000 Starbucks ( SBUX ) workers are expected to join the strike before Christmas, Starbucks Workers United told MT Newswires. Shares of Starbucks ( SBUX ) were up 2.4%.

The biggest banks plan to sue the Federal Reserve over its annual bank stress tests, CNBC reported Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the matter. A lawsuit could come as early as Tuesday morning, the person reportedly told CNBC.

Apple ( AAPL ) asked a federal district court on Monday to be added as a defendant in the antitrust case against Alphabet's (GOOG) Google ( GOOG ) over online search. Apple ( AAPL ) said that Google ( GOOG ) "cannot represent Apple's ( AAPL ) interests at this stage" because the plaintiffs' proposed final judgment "implicates concerns unique to Apple ( AAPL )." Apple ( AAPL ) shares were up 0.7%, while those of Google ( GOOG ) were up 0.4%.

Price: 17.23, Change: -0.02, Percent Change: -0.12