The major US stock indexes finished higher at a premature close on Thursday prior to the Christmas weekend. While the S&P finished the week slightly lower, The Dow Jones managed a slight gain while Nasdaq made a significant stride.
Many investors had high hopes due to the possibility of a Brexit deal as well as the vaccine rollout that is currently unfolding. Plenty of focus was also being directed at the upcoming Georgia senate runoffs.
On the coronavirus front, resurging outbreaks were offset by the promise of a stimulus package. While the existing package may be struck down in place of a new package promising $2,000 payments to individuals, there is also promising news in terms of combating the disease.
This news is in light of one million Americans already being administered with coronavirus vaccines. It’s also estimated that up to 20 million Americans will receive the vaccine by the time the year is out.
10 out of the 11 S&P 500 sectors posted gains before Christmas weekend, with real estate leading the way and energy being the sole sector with a loss.
