S&P 500 starts January with gains after Santa rally busts. What to watch for next.

A pair of closely watched but overlapping stock-market phenomena delivered a split decision for investors looking for clues to possible full-year performance. A tiebreaker awaits.

Topics

Researchers rated every S&P 500 company CEO since 2000. Here’s what they found.

CEOs might not be so idolized if we realized that many wash out of the job quickly.
MarketWatch - 2h
What are Santa Ana winds and how are they fuelling the wildfires?

What's behind the Santa Ana winds and why are they so destructive?
BBC News - 1d
This fund manager forecast a 20% S&P 500 gain last year. Now he says cash is king.

Dan Niles, founder of Niles Investment Management, says the S&P could swing much higher or lower in 2025, and investors need to protect themselves.
MarketWatch - 2d
What happens next for Canada after Trudeau's resignation?

Trudeau said he will step aside as Prime Minister and Liberal leader. What does that mean for the country?
BBC News - 2d
The Timberwolves are .500 and searching for an identity, but what if this is it?

Minnesota's chemistry on the floor has been, to put it kindly, off — and nobody’s really denying it.
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Don’t compare your retirement investments to the S&P 500

Retirement is about maximizing reliable cash flow for life
MarketWatch - 4d
Forget Santa: Stock-market bulls look to ‘January barometer’ for clues on 2025

Santa Claus was a no-show on Wall Street, but stock-market bulls may be able to take their lump of coal in stride if January gets the year off to a positive start.
MarketWatch - 5d
After a Monumental Year for Women’s Basketball, What’s Next?

Professional and college games broke into the broader cultural zeitgeist like never before in 2024.
The New York Times - Jan. 1
Walgreens and Intel lead list of stocks in the S&P 500 that fell hardest in 2024

At the end of a second consecutive year during which the S&P 500 has risen more than 20%, two things investors need to remember are that time tends to smooth out performance and that the index is ...
MarketWatch - Jan. 1

More from MarketWatch

Is the stock market open today? U.S. observes national day of mourning as Jimmy Carter’s funeral is held in Washington.

The country honors the former president, who died on Dec. 29 at age 100, with an official state funeral at the National Cathedral on Thursday. A private interment in Plains, Ga., is set to follow.
MarketWatch - 13m
Fed’s Collins says her concerns about labor-market fragility have decreased

The U.S. labor market remains healthy and the Federal Reserve can take a gradual and patient approach to future rate cuts, Boston Fed President Susan Collins said Thursday.
MarketWatch - 26m
Treasury yields dip as U.S. market avoids pressures from abroad

Treasury yields drift lower on Thursday to start of an abbreviated session, with the bond market set to shut early in observance of a national day of mourning in honor of former President Jimmy ...
MarketWatch - 1h
‘Companies always cozy up to whoever is in power’: Why Meta is numb to outrage over its fact-checking changes

One human-rights group called Meta’s fact-checking change “exceedingly dangerous.” That didn’t seem to stop the company.
MarketWatch - 1h
Their Social Security benefits were slashed. Now they’re getting hundreds — maybe thousands — of dollars back under Biden’s new law.

Retired public workers will get check adjustments and retro pay under the recently signed Social Security Fairness Act.
MarketWatch - 1h

More in Business

Russia's Kremlin says it's watching Trump's pursuit of Greenland closely

The Kremlin said Thursday that it's keeping a close eye on President-elect Donald Trump's ongoing pursuit of Greenland.
CNBC - 9m
Is the stock market open today? U.S. observes national day of mourning as Jimmy Carter’s funeral is held in Washington.

The country honors the former president, who died on Dec. 29 at age 100, with an official state funeral at the National Cathedral on Thursday. A private interment in Plains, Ga., is set to follow.
MarketWatch - 13m
Watch live: Biden to deliver eulogy at Jimmy Carter's state funeral

President Joe Biden's speech at former President Jimmy Carter's funeral will serve as one of his final public speaking appearances before leaving office.
CNBC - 15m
Amazon aims to expand advertising business by letting retailers use its ad tools on their stores

Amazon Retail Ad Service will allow sites to show "contextually relevant ads in the right place and at the right time" in search results, the company said.
CNBC - 15m
Fed’s Collins says her concerns about labor-market fragility have decreased

The U.S. labor market remains healthy and the Federal Reserve can take a gradual and patient approach to future rate cuts, Boston Fed President Susan Collins said Thursday.
MarketWatch - 26m