All three major stock indexes finished higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite climbing to fresh records despite bouts of weakness, as traders boosted the chances of 2025 interest-rate cuts.

U.S. stocks advanced to mark new record closes on Wednesday, while the Dow Jones (DJI) ended just 91.77 points away from its record close, as a rally sparked by heightened expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts continued.

The Dow on Friday was trying to close at its first record high of the year, as Wall Street has maintained steady optimism despite signs of underlying turbulence in the economy.