Stock Market Today: Dow, S&P 500 Go Out on Top
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 finished 2020 atop the mountain, notching record closes to cap an improbable year.


As a trying and tragic 2020 comes to a close, the stock market provided one of the year's few silver linings.
Several of the major indices finished New Year's Eve with small gains, and two closed out the year at all-time highs. That capped off spectacular rallies from 2020's bear-market bottom and a year of improbably strong performance.
Investors had plenty to consider as they traded on New Year's Eve: a pandemic that remains uncontained as vaccines roll out nationwide; a Georgia run-off election that will determine control of the Senate; declining but still-high unemployment claims; and the possibility of more stimulus measures in 2021.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Stocks finished the day mostly mixed, but gains from the likes of Intel (INTC, +2.2%) and McDonald's (MCD, +1.5%) helped the major blue-chip indices close out the year with small gains.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished 0.7% higher to a record 30,606, marking a 7.3% gain for 2020.
- The S&P 500, up 0.6% to a new all-time high of 3,756, finished the year 16.3% in the black.
- The Nasdaq Composite closed up 0.1% to 12,888, capping a massive 43.6% rally that marked its best annual performance since 2009.
- The Russell 2000 finished 0.3% lower to 1,974, but that still represented an 18.4% climb across 2020.
Position Yourself for Success in 2021
With that, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year! But will the market acquiesce?
Most research houses are calling for continued stock gains in 2021, and Kiplinger's own forecast is for "high-single-digit to low-double-digit percentages."
The market should be helped by a recovery in corporate earnings: FactSet senior earnings analyst John Butters says analysts are predicting a 21.8% jump in S&P 500 profits for 2021. "If 21.8% is the actual growth rate for the year, it will mark the largest annual earnings growth rate for the index since CY 2010 (39.6%)," he says.
The best way to take the reins of any opportunities in 2021, of course, is to be armed with the best investments. Check out all our market forecasts and stock and fund picks in Kiplinger's 2021 Investing Outlook.
Whether you're looking for stocks, exchange-traded funds or mutual funds, you'll find a plethora of ideas to help you build your wealth in 2021 … and far beyond.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
Kyle Woodley is the Editor-in-Chief of WealthUp, a site dedicated to improving the personal finances and financial literacy of people of all ages. He also writes the weekly The Weekend Tea newsletter, which covers both news and analysis about spending, saving, investing, the economy and more.
Kyle was previously the Senior Investing Editor for Kiplinger.com, and the Managing Editor for InvestorPlace.com before that. His work has appeared in several outlets, including Yahoo! Finance, MSN Money, Barchart, The Globe & Mail and the Nasdaq. He also has appeared as a guest on Fox Business Network and Money Radio, among other shows and podcasts, and he has been quoted in several outlets, including MarketWatch, Vice and Univision. He is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, where he earned a BA in journalism.
You can check out his thoughts on the markets (and more) at @KyleWoodley.
-
The $33,000 Retirement: One Man's Surprising Path to Financial Freedom at 61
Forget what society tells you, even with less than $1 million, you can be happy in retirement.
-
The Best Aerospace and Defense ETFs to Buy
The best aerospace and defense ETFs can help investors capitalize on higher government defense spending or hedge against the potential of a large-scale conflict.
-
Stock Market Today: It's 'Most Sectors Go' Ahead of Independence Day
The resilience trade continues to work, even for sectors and stocks with specific uncertainties.
-
Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Hit New Highs After Vietnam Trade Deal
Ahead of a key July 9 tariff deadline, President Trump said the U.S. has reached a trade deal with Vietnam.
-
Stock Market Today: Another Quarter, More Mixed Price Action
"Up and to the right" remains the general trend despite persistent uncertainty around critical policy issues.
-
Stock Market Today: A Historic Quarter Closes on High Notes
"All's well that ends well" is one way to describe the second quarter of 2025, at least from a pure price-action perspective.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Swing as Trump Scraps Canada Trade Talks
Despite a mid-afternoon slip, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended the day at new record highs.
-
Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Near New Highs
The S&P 500 hasn't hit a new high since February. It's been since December for the Nasdaq.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Struggle to Sustain Gains
Mixed messages from multiple sources continue to make for a messy market for investors, traders and speculators.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Soar on Israel-Iran Ceasefire
It was a rocky start to the truce, but a temporary halt to fighting between Israel and Iran appears to be holding for now.