Stocks climbed higher on Monday, hitting new records, as the year-end rally continues.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 96.44 points higher to 28,551.53, while the S&P 500 rose 0.1%, or 2.79 points, to 3,224.01 and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.2%, or 20.69 points, to 8,945.65. The three major averages all posted record closes. Shares of Boeing led the gains, jumping 2.9% after the company ousted CEO Dennis Muilenburg amid the 737 Max crisis.

Investors cheered the news that China will cut import tariffs on a wide range of goods. China's finance ministry announced starting January 1, it will lower import tariffs on over 850 products ranging from frozen pork to some types of semiconductors. China is making efforts to boost imports amid a slowing economy and a trade war with the U.S.

"Stocks are grinding relentlessly higher into year-end on continued momentum from the positive resolution of four key events: A phase one trade deal, a dovish Fed, economic data that isn't getting worse and Brexit resolution," Tom Essaye, founder of Sevens Report, said in a note on Monday.

Wall Street posted fresh record highs on Friday as stocks continued to rally on the back of an easing of geopolitical risks. The S&P 500 was up more than 1.5% last week and posted its fourth consecutive weekly gain. The benchmark has risen for the eighth time in the past nine sessions and rallied 28.6% for 2019 through Monday's close.

Trading volumes were subdued ahead of Christmas. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) traded about 41 million shares, well below its 30-day volume average of 60 million shares.

The U.S. stock market closes at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday for Christmas Eve and is closed on Wednesday for Christmas. Thursday and Friday are regular trading days.