The S&P 500 index is meant to be broadly representative of the U.S. economy. The well-known index is also a key gauge for tracking the U.S. stock market. The S&P 500 is what just about everyone uses to monitor the performance of the U.

The S&P 500 Index shuffled between small gains and losses on Wednesday, as a decline in chipmakers kept broader gains in check as traders parsed cooling producer prices and a string of profit updates from big banks.

The S&P 500 added 0.5% on Thursday, July 17, 2025, notching a record closing high for the first time in a week as June retail sales exceeded economists' forecasts.

Tech stocks were helping lift the stock market on Thursday, with the S&P 500 on the verge of setting an all-time record intraday high. The S&P 500's information-technology component was up 1% in afternoon trade,

RBC Capital Markets on Sunday raised its S&P 500 index year-end target to 6,250 from 5,730, its second hike this year, citing stronger investor sentiment and growing focus on 2026 economic prospects.

The iShares S&P 500 ex Top 100 ETF, meanwhile, tracks the S&P 500 performance excluding the 100 largest stocks, better known as the S&P 100. BlackRock promotes using the ETF in conjunction with the iShares S&P 100 ETF ( OEF -0.23%), so that investors can balance their megacap exposure as they want.

Stephens sees IBKR, CVNA, and RDDT as potential candidates for S&P 500 inclusion. Here's what the three names have in store for investors.

The S&P 500 ticked 0.3% higher on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, as President Trump sought to ease concerns that a dismissal of Fed Chair Jerome Powell could be imminent.

Warren Buffett Says Most Investors Should Buy This Vanguard Index Fund. It Could Turn $500 Per Month Into $1 Million.

Stronger-than-expected economic support from consumers reinforces the case for the Federal Reserve to stay in its holding pattern on rates.