U.S. stocks closed at record highs on Monday, as investors built on momentum from last week into at least the first session of the new year. The S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq each advanced.
U.S. equities posted another year of solid gains in 2021, rising by 27{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and delivering a rare third consecutive double-digit annual percentage increase. Within the S&P 500, the energy and real estate sectors outperformed, gaining more than 42{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} each during the year for these sectors’ best annual gains on record.
Still, the blue-chip index’s robust overall rise was powered on a stock-by-stock basis by just a handful of mega-cap names. According to Goldman Sachs analyst David Kostin, the five largest components of the S&P 500 (or Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google) together returned 37{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} last year – and now constitute about 23{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} of the entire index.
“In 2022, variables associated with earnings and valuation will determine the performance of the S&P 500 index and its underlying constituents,” Kostin wrote in a note Monday. He expects the index to rise another about 7{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to end 2022 at 5,100, with his outlook one among several Wall Street predictions calling for a gain to more than 5,000 for the S&P 500 this year.
“From an earnings perspective, decelerating economic growth will limit sales gains for many companies. Consequently, stock return dispersion will be most evident when viewed through the margin channel,” Kostin added. “Stocks with high labor cost ratios and exposure to wage inflation will likely underperform.”
But for the S&P 500 as a whole, a 27{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} rise and 29{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} total return this past year bodes favorably for the coming period. In the 71 years spanning back to 1950, when the S&P 500 posted a total return of 25{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} or more in a year, stocks rose 82{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} of the time the next year, according to data from Truist Advisory Services co-chief investment officer Keith Lerner. However, the magnitude of returns could moderate.
“I think that 2022 is going to be a good year that tends to follow a great year,” Sam Stovall, CFRA chief investment strategist, told Yahoo Finance Live late last week. “We certainly have a high wall of worry that we’re going to have to scale … in terms of inflation concerns, what the Fed will be doing with interest rates, et cetera.”
And indeed, this week investors will be eyeing new economic data including the Labor Department’s December jobs report to help show the relative strength of U.S. economic growth in the final weeks of the year, as inflation concerns and labor shortages continued to ripple across the country. Risks around the latest surge of the coronavirus are also weighing, with impacts to the labor market from the Omicron variant potentially set to show in the final monthly jobs report for 2021.
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4:05 p.m. ET: Stocks end the first session of 2022 with record closing high: S&P 500 gains 0.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, Nasdaq jumps 1.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}
Here were the main moves in markets as of 4:05 p.m. ET:
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S&P 500 (^GSPC): +30.38 (+0.64{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,796.56
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Dow (^DJI): +246.76 (+0.68{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 36,585.06
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Nasdaq (^IXIC): +187.83 (+1.20{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 15,832.80
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Crude (CL=F): +$0.79 (+1.05{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $76.00 a barrel
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Gold (GC=F): -$25.50 (-1.39{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,803.10 per ounce
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10-year Treasury (^TNX): +11.6 bps to yield 1.6280{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}
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1:28 p.m. ET: Treasury yields climb, 30-year yield rises above 2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} for the first time since November
The U.S. Treasury yield curve steepened on Monday as bonds on the long end of the curve rose markedly.
The 30-year yield jumped by nearly 14 basis points around 1:30 p.m. in New York to top 2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} for the first time since November, and the benchmark 10-year yield broke above 1.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} for the first time in more than one month.
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12:08 p.m. ET: Apple shares gain alongside broader tech rally, as iPhone-maker nears $3 trillion market cap
Shares of heavily weighted tech stock Apple (AAPL) gained more than 2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in intraday trading on Monday, helping lead the Nasdaq’s more than 0.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} rise during the session.
The iPhone-maker closed in on the $3 trillion market capitalization mark, and would need a share price of $182.86 apiece to reach that level. The stock gained nearly 34{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} during 2021, outpacing the broader market.
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11:00 a.m. ET: U.S. construction spending rises for ninth straight month in November as homebuilding picks up
Domestic spending on construction rose for a ninth straight month in November, helped in large part by a pick-up in residential home construction.
Construction spending in the U.S. rose at a 0.4{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} monthly clip in November, the Commerce Department said on Monday. This matched October’s rate, which was in turn upwardly revised from the 0.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} monthly increase previously reported.
Private construction led the gain for November, with this spending up 0.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and. residential construction spending alone jumping by nearly 1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}. However, public construction project spending declined by 0.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}. during the month, weighed down by a 0.4{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} decrease in outlays by the federal government.
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10:01 a.m. ET: Final December Markit U.S. manufacturing PMI revised down as shortages weigh on growth
IHS Markit’s final December U.S. purchasing managers’ index for the manufacturing sector came in slightly lower than previously reported the final monthly print, reflecting supply-side shortages still weighing on goods-producing industries.
The headline PMI ticked down to 57.7 for December from the 57.8 previously reported. This marked the lowest print in a year. Readings above the neutral level of 50.0 indicate expansion in a sector.
“December saw another subdued increase in U.S. manufacturing output as material shortages and supplier delays dragged on,” Sian Jones, senior economist at IHS Markit, said in a press statement. “Although some reprieve was seen as supply chains deteriorated to the smallest extent since May, the impact of substantially longer lead times for inputs thwarted firms’ ability to produce finished goods yet again.”
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9:58 a.m. ET: When looking at year-end price targets, ‘you shouldn’t be looking for the exact number’: Strategist
With Wall Street strategists having cast their expectations about where the stock market is likely to end the year, investors should consider not so much firms’ exact price targets, but their commentary around current market conditions, according to at least one strategist.
“When it comes to outlooks, there’s something that I tend to think and that is, obviously everybody is putting these out for just a general thought,” Michael Antonelli, Robert W. Baird & Co. strategist, told Yahoo Finance Live on Monday. “And honestly when you read an outlook, you shouldn’t be looking for the exact number because obviously that is a tough number to pick. What you want to be looking for is how that person thinks about the market and how they think about the economy.”
“When I think about the market and economy right now, I think about momentum,” he added. “Momentum is one of the most durable factors when it comes to the stock market … we have a lot going for us right now.”
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9:30 a.m. ET: Stocks open higher
Here’s where markets were trading just after the opening bell:
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S&P 500 (^GSPC): +19.45 (+0.41{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,785.63
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Dow (^DJI): +81.85 (+0.23{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 36,420.15
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Nasdaq (^IXIC): +114.00 (+0.75{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 15,761.93
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Crude (CL=F): -$0.74 (+0.98{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $74.47 a barrel
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Gold (GC=F): -$19.70 (-1.08{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,808.90 per ounce
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10-year Treasury (^TNX): +9.3 bps to yield 1.591{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}
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7:45 a.m. ET Monday: Stock futures look to open near records
Here’s where markets were trading ahead of the opening bell Monday morning:
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S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +27 point (+0.57{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 4,785.50
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Dow futures (YM=F): +166.00 points (+0.46{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 36,392.00
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Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): +110.75 points (+0.68{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 16,431.50
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Crude (CL=F): +$0.32 (+0.43{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $75.53 a barrel
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Gold (GC=F): -$6.20 (-0.34{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,822.40 per ounce
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10-year Treasury (^TNX): +3.5 bps to yield 1.463{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}
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Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter