The dawn of 2026 brought a flicker of optimism to Wall Street as U.S. stock markets kicked off the new year with modest gains, defying the sluggish first-day trends of recent years. On January 2, the first trading day of the year, the S&P 500 managed to eke out a small advance, closing up 0.19% at 6,858.47 points after touching intraday highs that suggested a more robust 0.7% rise earlier in the session. The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, flirted with stronger momentum, surging as much as 1.5% intraday—but ultimately dipped 0.03% to end at 23,235.63. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fared better, climbing 0.66% to 48,382.39, providing a steady anchor amid the volatility. This performance marks a subtle reversal from the pattern of the past three years, where the S&P 500 started
S&P 500 Rally to Start 2026: January Effect Hits?
First Trading Day of 2026! The Nasdaq rises 1.3%, the S&P 500 up 0.6%; semiconductor stocks surge across the board, with ASML and Micron climbing about 8% to all-time highs, and Nvidia and Broadcom up over 3%. Which stock in your portfolio hit a new high? Do you believe in January effect?