Live Updates Live Coverage Updates appear automatically as they are published. Monetary Policy 11:48 am by Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Austan Goolsbee is making the speaking rounds today on tariffs and interest rates.

The S&P 500 has a long track record of success despite most individual stocks underperforming. In fact, according to a J.P. Morgan study, between 1980 and 2020, two-thirds of stocks in the Russell 3000 index,

The old axiom in the stock market about selling your stocks at the close of April and buying them back at the start of November used to make some sense,” says First Trust. Here’s why it no longer does.

The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC -0.67%) is down 1% year to date, but that number doesn't tell the whole story. The index initially advanced 4% as investors anticipated deregulation and tax cuts under President Trump. Instead, the administration shocked Wall Street with aggressive trade policies and the stock market crashed.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.6% on Wednesday, May 28, ahead of semiconductor giant Nvidia's highly anticipated quarterly earnings release.

Stocks jump after Trump delays EU tariffs until July 9 to give more time for talks. Some deals are also expected this week. Consumer confidence rises.

According to S&P Global, over 64% of actively managed large-cap equity funds underperformed the S&P 500 index over the past 24 years. Money managers have a hard time outperforming the benchmark, but there are individual businesses with competitive advantages that regularly outperform.

Dividends have contributed nearly 31% to the total returns of the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) index since 1926. That number alone proves what a great investment dividend stocks can be, provided you choose ones that pay regular dividends and preferably increase them over time.

The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund ETF offers earnings-based exposure, outperforming the S&P 500. Read why I reiterate my Buy rating on EPS.