U.S. inflation ticked higher in November while core price pressures held at multiyear lows, potentially completing the picture for the Federal Reserve's end-of-year interest-rate decision next week. The Commerce Department said its headline Consumer Price Index for November was pegged at an annual rate of 2.

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) is up 27% in 2024, as of Dec. 9. Barring a catastrophic market crash in the final three weeks of the year, this will be a celebrated above-average year for the stock market. It wouldn't only represent a great year for the stock market, but it would also represent a spectacular two-year run for the S&P 500.