Catenaa, Friday, December 26, 2025- The S&P 500 reached a new high on Friday, hitting the 6,945 mark as traders came back from the Christmas holiday.
The broad market index was last hovering around the flatline, as was the Nasdaq Composite. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 52 points, or 0.1%, lower.
For the week, the S&P 500 was up more than 1%, putting the benchmark on track for its fourth weekly advance in five weeks. The Dow and Nasdaq were also up more than 1% week to date.
Wall Street is also coming off a record-setting session, with the S&P 500 setting new all-time intraday and closing highs on Wednesday. US markets were closed on Thursday due to the Christmas holiday.
Investors are also in a historically strong seasonal period, as they await a potential Santa Claus rally.
The rally occurs between the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year. Data from the Stock Trader’s Almanac shows the S&P 500 averages a 1.3% gain during that time, going back to 1950.
Stocks ended the shortened Christmas Eve session with both the benchmark S&P 500 and blue-chip Dow at record highs.
All three major indexes notched their fifth consecutive victory as Wall Street entered into the so-called Santa Claus rally period, the last five trading sessions of the year and the first two of the new year.
The upward trend has put the indexes on track for solid weekly gains as they begin to wrap up a rollercoaster, but ultimately high-flying, year.
The S&P 500 is up some 18% so far this year, on track for its sixth year of 15%-plus gains out of the past seven.
