<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - Worried about inflation? Here’s what to expect and what you can do to protect yourself."/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The S&P 500 index ended last week at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2024/01/19/sp-500-record-high-on-hopes-fed-lowers-rates/72286977007/" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a" rel="noopener">a record high</a>, welcome news for Americans’ retirement accounts.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The benchmark index closed up 1.2% Friday to beat its previous record from January 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average – which <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/12/13/dow-jones-record-high-close/71910975007/" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a" rel="noopener">surpassed its 2022 peak last month</a> – also closed at a new record Friday, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.7%.</p><figure class="gnt_em gnt_em_img"><img class="gnt_em_img_i" style="height:440px" fetchpriority="high" data-g-r="lazy" src="https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/01/19/USAT/72287848007-1945806299.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp" srcset="https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/01/19/USAT/72287848007-1945806299.jpg?width=1320&height=880&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp 2x" decoding="async" alt="People walk by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on January 19, 2024 in New York City. Stocks closed up over 350 points while the S&P 500 closed at an all-time high on Friday."/></figure><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The milestones follow major stock market declines in 2022, Wall Street’s worst year since the Great Recession. At the time, investors were concerned about high inflation, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2024/01/19/sp-500-record-high-on-hopes-fed-lowers-rates/72286977007/" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a" rel="noopener">high interest rates</a> and a potential recession, and the S&P 500 dipped about 20%.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">“It took more than two years, but the S&P 500 finally made it back to new all-time highs,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.carsongroup.com/insights/blog/team-members/ryan-detrick/" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a" rel="noopener">Ryan Detrick</a>, chief market strategist at financial services firm Carson Group. “This is a great reminder to investors that although we’ve seen many worries and concerns over the past two years, investors are usually rewarded over time.” </p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p"><strong class="gnt_ar_b_al">That's my bonus?</strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/01/21/year-end-bonus-smaller-2023/72268243007/" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|spike click:7|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">Year-end checks were lighter in 2023. Here's what to do if you got one</a></p><h2 class="gnt_ar_b_mt">Why are stock markets up?</h2><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Tech stocks helped push the S&P 500 to new heights Friday, with chipmaker Nvidia up 4.2%, Texas Instruments gaining 4% and semiconductor giant Broadcom rising 5.9%.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at investment research and analytics firm CFRA Research, noted that tech companies have done a good job of managing expectations in recent quarters. Now, he said, investors may be thinking that Wall Street is "underestimating the kind...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2024/01/21/s-p-500-hit-record-high/72287815007/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>