On July 21, the S&P 500 closed above its 20-day moving average for 60 straight days. Investors use moving averages to chart levels that could indicate some kind of breakout, meaning stocks heading higher. It's used more by technical strategists, but can be useful for all investors when it comes to identifying trends or sentiment.

The S&P 500 has reached a very high level of concentration, with the top 10 stocks driving 54% of its market cap gains since January 2021.

(Reuters) -Oppenheimer Asset Management on Monday raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 index to 7,100, the highest among major Wall Street brokerages, betting on easing trade tensions and strong corporate earnings.

If the S&P 500 has been such a great investment, surely adding a few smart tweaks should make it even better, right? That’s been the theory behind dozens of factor-based spinoffs.

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed a decline in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the “Greed” zone on Friday. U.S. stocks settled higher on Friday, with the S&P 500 notching its 14th record close of the year as optimism over corporate earnings and progress on global trade talks provided support for risk assets.

U.S. stocks finished mostly higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq scoring records after the U.S. and the European Union struck a trade deal and investors looked ahead to earnings reports from several Big Tech companies,

The moves come after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite hit new all-time and closing highs during Monday’s trading session.

Trump’s tariffs and trade deals continue to affect global markets. Follow along for live updates on the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq.

On Friday, the S&P 500 achieved its fifth consecutive record finish, its longest streak of record closing highs since July 10, 2024.

The S&P 500 added 0.5% on Monday, June 30, closing the second quarter at record levels amid optimism about trade talks.

Investing in dividend-paying ETFs can be a great way to achieve diversification and generate passive income no matter what the broader market is doing.