Average short interest across the S&P 500 consumer discretionary stocks has decreased to 2.45% of shares float in end-December, from 2.54% a month earlier. Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) has been up 30.

Today, history offers us reason to be excited about 2025, suggesting that the S&P 500 is likely to soar as it's done in previous periods. But even if it doesn't, by taking the steps I've mentioned, your portfolio still could advance this year -- and most importantly, over the long run.

So-called Big Tech stocks with outsized weightings in the S&P 500 were rising sharply Wednesday, with gains led by Nvidia Corp. The Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF, whose portfolio equally weights seven Big Tech stocks — Nvidia,

It's not easy for a stock investor to beat the S&P 500 in any given year, and it's even harder to do that regularly. Even Warren Buffett, who has beaten the market by huge margins over decades, hasn't managed to do so every year.

The S&P 500 delivered back-to-back annual total returns of over 25% in 2023 and 2024. The technology sector drove the S&P higher on that occasion too, but the catalyst is artificial intelligence (AI) this time.

Investing in the US stock market from India can be done with exposure to exchange-traded funds listed on US stock market exchanges.

(k) index funds may be more heavily weighted toward technology stocks than investors realize, which can expose them to hidden sector-specific risks

After jumping 6.75% this week, Nvidia ( NVDA 4.43%) took the baton from Apple ( AAPL 0.53%) as the world's most valuable company, with a market cap of $3.60 trillion. The switch comes partly fueled by the positive news out around the Stargate project.

Amazon (AMZN) closed at $235.01 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.86% move from the prior day. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.61%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 1.

The S&P 500 advanced 0.6% on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, following the announcement of major AI investments and a string of positive earnings releases.

But several issues fell apart on the stock market today. The Dow Jones index added 0.4% and held firmly above the 44,000 level, after closing above it Tuesday. The blue-chip index is above its 50-day moving average.

There are many ways to diversify beyond the S&P 500. One is to hold shares of the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF RSP. Another, according to Davis, is to take an even broader index-fund approach. One example is the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF VTI, which is designed to track the entire U.S. market.