Traders send stocks to fresh highs in strong first week of 2026

US equities extended their bullish early-January run on Friday to notch new closing records, as bets on economic growth coalesced with expectations that the Federal Reserve remains on track to cut rates further this year.The S&P 500 Index on Friday climbed 0.7 per cent in New York to a fresh high, after a US employment report did little to alter expectations that the Fed will leave interest rates on hold for now, though a number of cuts were still priced in for later in 2026. The technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 ...