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S&P 500 5,836 (+0.16%) Nasdaq 19,088 (-0.38%) Dow 42,297 (+0.86%) Bitcoin 93,728 (-0.62%) |
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After notching up a second consecutive annual gain greater than 20%, the S&P 500 now boasts a 53% rally over the past two years. This is the strongest two-year stint from the index since the juicy 66% gain from 1997-1998. |
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Key factors at play: AI was the big driver behind the market rally, with poster child Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) surging 171%. The start of the rate cut cycle from the U.S. Federal Reserve was cheered by investors as inflation moved lower.
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Standout alternative assets: Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) gained 119% during the year, topping $100k for the first time. Gold kept its shine, also hitting all-time highs amid a 27% move higher. The U.S. Dollar rose over 7%, closing the year at the highest level since November 2022.
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Wall Street strategists are forecasting further stock market gains for 2025, albeit at a slower pace. The median year-end target for the S&P 500 is 6,600 points, around a 12% gain from current levels. |
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“Factors such as economic growth and trade policy lean in favor of the S&P 493”: David Kostin, Chief U.S. Equity Strategist at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), reckons the market could do well even without massive outperformance with the Magnificent 7. He expects earnings growth to narrow between the two groups, supporting the importance of a diversified portfolio.
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A bear among the bulls: The lowest S&P 500 forecast comes from Stifel (NYSE: SF) with a target of 5,500 points. The brokerage company notes concerns around slower economic growth and sticky inflation, even predicting a complete pause in interest rate cuts. TMF’s financial planning team lead Amanda Kish flagged a slower pace of cuts as one of the primary risks likely to affect markets in 2025.
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Megacap tech stocks may have stolen the limelight in 2024, but there were notable performers outside of this group worth noting. |
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Tapping into renewable energy: The rush to use clean energy to help power AI needs saw data center stocks soar, such as the 258% gain from Texas-based Vistra (NYSE: VST). The abundant energy resources in the state positively affected Texas Pacific Land (NYSE: TPL), with the land owner’s stock price doubling in 2024.
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Expansion ramping up: With new partnerships coming online for Vistra and other data center competitors, this second derivative “picks and shovels” area of AI could be a key area of focus for the coming year.
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4. Beaten-Down Stocks to Consider in 2025 |
Fool analysts have highlighted nine strong companies that stumbled in 2024 but still maintain their fundamental promise. All current TMF recommendations, they include Nike (NYSE: NKE) and Unity Software (NYSE: U). |
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Asit Sharma: “We think Nike's powerful flywheel of innovation, marketing, and profits will again reach the momentum it routinely enjoyed before the company's post-pandemic stumble.”
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Kirsten Guerra: “[New] leadership, paired with possibly the most extensive mobile gaming dataset in the world, offers a long runway for Unity to dramatically improve its monetization business in coming years.”
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With the Magnificent 7 contributing more than half of the S&P 500’s overall gain for 2024, Fool analyst Jason Moser recently asked Epic members for their favorite non-MAG7 companies. Discuss with friends and family, or become a Stock Advisor member to hear what your fellow Fools are saying!
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