The S&P 500 rose 16.39% this year, after rising 23% in 2024 and 24% in 2023. That gain comes despite concerns about tariffs, geopolitical turmoil, nerves about a bubble and the longest government shutdown in history.
A three-peat of double-digit gains is relatively rare. The index had only experienced it five times before this year (this time being the sixth), with two occurrences ending in a four-peat and one — in the 1990s — ending in a five-peat, according to Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research.
Stocks were boosted in 2025 by robust corporate earnings, enthusiasm about AI and optimism about interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.
Stocks stumbled into the end of the year, with the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq each falling four days in a row to close out 2025. Nonetheless, it was year of healthy gains for the stock market.
“Equity markets are ending the year on a high note, with the S&P 500 on track for its third consecutive year of double-digit returns, driven by AI momentum and a resilient economy that has shrugged off fiscal and political headwinds,” Craig Johnson, chief market technician at Piper Sandler, said in a December 10 note.
1 Comment
[The US stock market just achieved something](https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/31/investing/year-gains-us-stock-market?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=missions&utm_source=reddit) so rare that it’s only happened six times since the 1940s: three consecutive years of double-digit gains.
The S&P 500 rose 16.39% this year, after rising 23% in 2024 and 24% in 2023. That gain comes despite concerns about tariffs, geopolitical turmoil, nerves about a bubble and the longest government shutdown in history.
A three-peat of double-digit gains is relatively rare. The index had only experienced it five times before this year (this time being the sixth), with two occurrences ending in a four-peat and one — in the 1990s — ending in a five-peat, according to Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research.
Stocks were boosted in 2025 by robust corporate earnings, enthusiasm about AI and optimism about interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.
Stocks stumbled into the end of the year, with the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq each falling four days in a row to close out 2025. Nonetheless, it was year of healthy gains for the stock market.
“Equity markets are ending the year on a high note, with the S&P 500 on track for its third consecutive year of double-digit returns, driven by AI momentum and a resilient economy that has shrugged off fiscal and political headwinds,” Craig Johnson, chief market technician at Piper Sandler, said in a December 10 note.