Average short interest across the S&P 500 consumer discretionary stocks has decreased to 2.45% of shares float in end-December, from 2.54% a month earlier. Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) has been up 30.

Today, history offers us reason to be excited about 2025, suggesting that the S&P 500 is likely to soar as it's done in previous periods. But even if it doesn't, by taking the steps I've mentioned, your portfolio still could advance this year -- and most importantly, over the long run.

It's not easy for a stock investor to beat the S&P 500 in any given year, and it's even harder to do that regularly. Even Warren Buffett, who has beaten the market by huge margins over decades, hasn't managed to do so every year.

A number of new energy stocks, including S&P 500 nuclear stocks Constellation Energy and Vistra along with Amazon.com supplier Plug Power, moved higher following the the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service revising its rules for hydrogen production tax credits.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have both felt pressure as shares of major tech companies came under pressure Monday. Investors continue to keep a close eye on rising Treasury yields, which heighten worries about valuations, particularly for some of the market's most highly valued names.

The "Magnificent Seven" is a group of seven tech-orientated companies -- Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Apple, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Tesla. All seven crushed the S&P 500 in 2023, and all but Microsoft beat the index again in 2024.

(k) index funds may be more heavily weighted toward technology stocks than investors realize, which can expose them to hidden sector-specific risks

Muhammad Cheema asked ChatGPT to pick its top S&P 500 growth stock. He was disappointed with its response, which missed a key AI player. The post I asked ChatGPT to name the best S&P 500 growth stock and it picked this AI powerhouse appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

For example, recent the outperformance of a few technology companies, such as Apple AAPL, Microsoft MSFT, Amazon.com AMZN, Nvidia NVDA, Alphabet GOOGL, Tesla TSLA, and Meta Platforms META ...

Lofty expectations for US corporate profits mean that the flood of earnings reports due in the coming fortnight will play a particularly important role in setting the direction for Wall Street stocks, investors say, after a shaky start to 2025.

The major indexes reclaimed their 50-day moving averages while bitcoin also rallied into Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. Many stocks flashed buy signals.

If you have an extra $1,000 sitting in a savings or checking account, one of the best ways to earn a return on that money is to invest in the stock market. [ Sign up for stock news with our