A rally in big tech fueled by optimism over artificial intelligence and a batch of earnings from corporate heavyweights sent stocks to the brink of their record highs.

Consumer price index data for December showed that core price pressures eased more than expected. S&P 500 futures rose as Wall Street weighed the CPI's implications for Federal Reserve policy as well as positive earnings reports from Dow Jones giants JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

Of the S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings so far, 79% have beat estimates, according to FactSet data.

The S&P 500 has given up almost all of its post-election gains, with renewed inflation fears crimping Wall Street optimism about President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tax cuts and deregulation. Strong economic data have dashed hopes for a slew of interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve,

A month has passed since our previous look at the expected future quarterly dividends of the S&P 500 in 2025. Since that date in mid-December 2024, investors' expectations of how many rate cuts there will be during 2025 have see-sawed between zero and two.

Returning 25% in 2024, the S&P 500 delivered a record-breaking year for stock market investors. A resilient global economy coupled with interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve continues to fuel optimism toward a strong outlook.

The Nasdaq fell on Monday, while the benchmark S&P 500 bounced off a two-month low and eked out a slight gain as U.S. Treasury yields stayed elevated with investors dialing back expectations on the pace of rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.

Options traders whipsawed by the stock market’s recent gyrations are getting anxious that more bouts of volatility may arrive in the coming days, starting with Wednesday’s report on consumer prices.

The S&P 500 turned positive in late morning trade on hopes that more rate cuts from the Federal Reserve might still on the table for 2025. Fed governor Christopher Waller said he sees potential for up to four more cuts this year,

How Will The Federal Reserve’s Tussle With Interest Rates Affect The S&P 500 In 2025? For all the enthusiasm that investors had entering 2024 with the expectation of rolling rate cuts occurring ...

The postelection rally in stocks was officially wiped out on Monday. At intraday lows, the S&P 500 was about 0.2% below its Election Day close. Investors are growing skittish about spiking bond yields and the prospect of higher inflation.

Inflation is proving stickier than expected, which could cause Fed to hit pause button on more interest rate cuts.