• The Dow Jones Industrial Average came within a hair of 20,000 on Friday, as US stocks marched to new record highs at the start of January.
The Dow index peaked at 19,999.63 in intraday trading. It eventually closed at a new 19,963.80, gaining 64.51 points, or 0.3%. Futures on the benchmark average were up 76 points at the end of New York trading.
For the week, the Dow Jones added 1%.
U.S. equities closed higher after hitting all-time highs on Friday as the technology sector led, while investors parsed through key employment data.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose about 65 points, with Goldman Sachs and Walt Disney contributing the most gains, and reached a new all-time intraday high. The Dow also came within 0.37 points of hitting 20,000 for the first time. The S&P 500 gained 0.35 percent and posted intraday and closing record highs, with information technology advancing 1 percent.
The Nasdaq composite outperformed, closing 0.6 percent higher, also hitting new all-time intraday and closing high. Leading the tech-heavy index higher were Apple and the so-called FANG stocks (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google-parent Alphabet), which all rose.
• President-elect Donald Trump takes center stage with his first postelection news conference Wednesday, and traders are looking for more details around the promises that have helped drive the Dow up 9 percent since Election Day.
Another test for the rally will be the start of fourth-quarter earning seasons, and first up are financials, the leaders of the Trump rally with a near 18 percent gain since Nov. 8. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, PNC Financial and others report Friday.
Earnings for the S&P 500 are expected to increase by 6.1 percent in the fourth quarter, but the S&P financial sector earnings are expected to have the biggest gains, with earnings up 15.7 percent, according to Thomson Reuters.
• Asian stocks are poised to rise on Monday, MSCI's ex-Japan Asia-Pacific shares index .MIAPJ0000PUS was broadly flat, holding near one-month highs. Australia's S&P/ASX200 rose 0.5 percent. Japan is closed for a holiday (Coming-of-Age Day).
However, financial markets will be carefully tuned to President-elect Donald Trump's news conference on Wednesday with his views on global trade and China under close scrutiny, although investors would be wary of chasing any big market moves higher.
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