How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday 11/4/2026

U.S. stocks soared after President Donald Trump’s party lost its sole control of Washington in the midterm elections.

Stocks generally do well in the months following any midterm U.S. election, regardless of who wins, and the S&P 500 jumped 1.6% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 1,500 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.4%.

Stocks of hospital owners and retailers focused on lower-income Americans led the widespread rally. Investors, meanwhile, see risks ahead for Trump’s social-media company, the AI industry and businesses owned by Elon Musk. Oil prices tumbled, which helped Treasury yields to ease in the bond market.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 rose 119.70 points, or 1.6%, to 7,688.62.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,569.40 points, or 3%, to 53,356.12.

The Nasdaq composite rose 364.50 points, or 1.4%, to 25,736.51.

The Russell 2000 rose 44.50 points, or 1.6%, to 2,856.95.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is up 108.55 points, or 1.4%.

The Dow is up 1,585.81 points, or 3.1%.

The Nasdaq is up 299.52 points, or 1.2%.

The Russell 2000 is up 45.11 points, or 1.6%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 843.12 points, or 12.3%.

The Dow is up 5,292.83 points, or 11%.

The Nasdaq is up 2,494.52 points, or 10.7%.

The Russell 2000 is up 375.04 points, or 15.1%.