Just when anxiety over the market's direction started to intensify, the S&P 500 said, 'I got this,' and ended the 3/26/21 trading week at a new all-time closing high (ATH). Note that the closing price was less than a half-point above the prior ATH set on 3/17/21, which in market terms seems like a lifetime ago.

The stock market performed well last week, touching fresh highs with no clear-cut catalysts aside from relatively strong earnings. Tech stocks outperformed blue chips, though small-cap stocks outperformed both. During Friday's session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 28 points, or 0.09%. The S&P 500 was up 0.47%, and the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.50%. For the week, the DJIA climbed 310 points, or 1.00%, the S&P 500 climbed 1.23%, and the Nasdaq Composite led the way, climbing 1.73%. Year-to-date, the DJIA is up 2.78%, the S&P 500 is up 4.76%, and the Nasdaq Composite is up 9.37%.

The stock market rallied last week, closing a holiday-shortened Friday at new closing records for Nasdaq and the S&P 500. With just a single trading day left in November, the market is on track for its best month since April. On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 38 points, or 0.13%. The S&P 500 edged up 9 points, or 0.24%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 111 points or 0.92%. Last week, the Dow was up 1.45%, returning to growth after the month's only down week. The S&P 500 was up 1.6%. The Nasdaq was up 301 points or 0.92%. For the year-to-date, the DJIA remains in positive territory with a gain of 4.8%. The S&P is up 12.6%, and the Nasdaq is up 36.0%. Over the past 52 weeks, the Dow is up 6.2%, the S&P 500 is up 15.4%, and the Nasdaq is up 40.2%.