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Markets carried their strong momentum from the second quarter into the third quarter, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 each hitting new highs. Investor sentiment remained optimistic despite soft labor market data and mixed economic signals, and stocks traded higher due to strong corporate earnings, the Federal Reserve’s resumption of rate cuts, and easing trade tensions.

Markets carried their strong momentum from the second quarter into the third quarter, with the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 each hitting new highs. Investor sentiment remained optimistic despite soft labor market data and mixed economic signals, and stocks traded higher due to strong corporate earnings, the Federal Reserve’s resumption of rate cuts, and easing trade tensions.

The past two years have been strong for investors, with the S&P 500 posting back-to-back gains of over 20 percent. At the start of this year, the S&P 500’s previous all-time high was set in January 2022 (4,796 on the first trading day of 2022). It took over two years to reclaim the prior high, but once the index broke through in late January 2024, it set more than 50 new highs this year.