U.S. Stock Market Performance on December 20, 2024

On December 20, 2024, U.S. stocks experienced a significant rise, transforming what could have been one of the market’s worst weeks into a modestly disappointing one.

The S&P 500 index increased by 1.1%, reducing its weekly loss to 2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a jump of nearly 500 points, reflecting a positive shift in investor sentiment, while the Nasdaq composite added 1% to its value.

One of the contributing factors to this increase was the release of a report indicating that a key inflation measure favored by the Federal Reserve was slightly lower than anticipated for the previous month. This outcome is considered a hopeful sign following the Fed's announcement earlier in the week, which cautioned that fears of rising inflation could prevent substantial interest rate cuts in 2025.

Market Overview on Friday

On Friday, the major U.S. stock indices performed as follows:

• S&P 500: Rose by 63.77 points (1.1%) to reach 5,930.85.
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: Increased by 498.02 points (1.2%) to settle at 42,840.26.
• Nasdaq Composite: Climbed by 199.83 points (1%) to hit 19,572.60.
• Russell 2000: Gained 20.87 points (0.9%) to position at 2,242.37.

Weekly Performance Summary

Despite the gains on Friday, the weekly performance still showed declines:

• S&P 500: Down 120.24 points (2%).
• Dow Jones: Down 987.80 points (2.3%).
• Nasdaq: Down 354.13 points (1.8%).
• Russell 2000: Down 104.52 points (4.5%).

Yearly Performance Snapshot

Looking at the performance over the year so far, the indices have demonstrated considerable growth:

• S&P 500: Up by 1,161.02 points (24.3%).
• Dow Jones: Up by 5,150.72 points (13.7%).
• Nasdaq: Up by 4,561.25 points (30.4%).
• Russell 2000: Up by 215.30 points (10.6%).

Stocks, Market, Indices