Now Bank of America says that every time in history the S&P 500 surged at least 10% by September’s end, it kept rising for the rest of the year. The S&P 500 is actually coming off back-to-back 20%+ gains in both 2023 and 2024. Dow and S&P 500 close at record highs, Nasdaq slipsWhile the S&P 500 barely moved Friday, it still finished with a new all-time high. But utilities stocks ran in the opposite direction, up by 1.2% on the day, leading the sector gains inside the S&P 500. That capped off a bullish start to Q4, with the S&P 500 still grinding higher and holding its most perfect track record.