As the curtain opens on the 2025 stock market, it's fair to say that it will be among the most anticipated encores in financial history – if only because 2024 is a very tough act to follow.
The broad U.S. market, measured by the S&P 500 Index, notched 47 new highs over the course of the calendar year through October, to the surprise of many investors who watched from the sidelines with huge cash positions, and to the chagrin of many Wall Street experts, who had to boost their year-end forecasts for the benchmark throughout the year – some, multiple times.
