Stocks End 2020 on a Positive Note

Stocks established fresh record highs last week, propelled by the signing of a COVID-19 relief bill, which delivered on a long-awaited, new round of economic stimulus and served to prevent a government shutdown in the near term.⁴

After pulling back on disappointment that the Senate was not able to increase individual stimulus payments to $2,000, stocks reversed direction as the approval of another vaccine by the U.K. lifted investor sentiment.

Ahead of the New Year holiday, stocks surged higher, leaving the Dow Jones Industrials Average and the S&P 500 Index to close 2020 at record highs.