US stock market today: Wall Street Santa Claus rally — S&P 500 trades near record highs, Dow and Nasdaq on the move

S&P 500 closed at a fresh record high. Holiday trading volumes were thin, but investor sentiment stayed positive as markets moved into the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.05% to 23,549.36 as tech stocks cooled. Tuesday’s rally pushed the S&P 500 to a record close of 6,909.79, keeping momentum intact heading into year-end. Investors are balancing strong economic data with expectations for future interest-rate cuts. The U.S. Commerce Department reported third-quarter GDP growth of 4.3%, well above forecasts. The d ...