S&P 500 Hovers Near Record With Wall Street Hoping for a Year-End Rally

The stock market is stuck in a holding pattern—and some investors are pinning their hopes on holiday cheer. 

The S&P 500 swung in either direction this week before ending not far from where it started. Jitters about the future of artificial intelligence continued to weigh on tech stocks earlier in the week. A pair of delayed reports on inflation and the job market offered little clarity on the state of the economy heading into 2026.