The Dow Jones Industrial Average entered December hoping for a “Santa Claus rally” to counter its weak start to the month. But for the second consecutive year, Wall Street’s holiday cheer failed to arrive. By the end of December, the Dow had dropped 5.3%, marking its worst December performance since...

The Changing Face of Retail Investing: Easier, Riskier, and More Complex New technology is reshaping how retail investors approach the markets, offering powerful tools that were once exclusive to Wall Street professionals. However, with this greater accessibility comes the challenge of navigating an increasingly complex and risk-laden investing landscape. In...

S&P 500 Faces Another Holiday Season Slump, Marking Rare Back-to-Back Declines For the second consecutive year, the S&P 500 is falling short during the historically upbeat “Santa Claus rally,” disappointing investors who typically anticipate a year-end boost. This rare back-to-back decline underscores a challenging stretch for the market, as such...

After a strong rally throughout most of 2024, the U.S. stock market has hit a rough patch in December, with investors gravitating back to megacap technology stocks. The “BATMMAAN” stocks—Broadcom, Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Alphabet, and Nvidia—have dominated market gains. Broadcom’s rise past the $1 trillion market capitalization threshold...

Meanwhile, new labor markets data signaled headwinds for the economy. Continuing unemployment claims jumped to 1.91 million, the highest level in more than three years, highlighting persistent job markets pressures. Stock market indexes ended mixed on Thursday in their first session after Christmas, dampening the momentum of the Santa Claus...