--- title: "S&P 500, Russell 2000 Soar To Record Highs, Silver Jumps To $80: What's Moving Markets Friday?" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/272113657.md" description: "Wall Street closed the week strong, with the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 reaching record highs. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 6,973.17, while the Russell 2000 climbed 1.1% to 2,632.10. Job data showed nonfarm payrolls increased by 50,000, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%. Vistra Corp. surged over 13% after a deal with Meta for zero-carbon energy. Silver prices jumped to $80 an ounce, and Bitcoin remained flat near $91,000. Overall, investors expect the Federal Reserve to maintain interest rates in January, with potential cuts later in the year." datetime: "2026-01-09T18:49:07.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/272113657.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/272113657.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/272113657.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # S&P 500, Russell 2000 Soar To Record Highs, Silver Jumps To $80: What's Moving Markets Friday? Wall Street found firm footing to close the week as solid but unspectacular jobs data eased fears of a sharp labor market slowdown while keeping **Federal Reserve** rate-cut expectations intact. **• Vistra shares are powering higher. Why is VST stock surging?** Both the **S&P 500** and the **Russell 2000** climbed to fresh record highs, signaling a rally that has broadened across both large-cap and small-cap stocks. By midday trading in New York, the index of the 500 largest U.S. corporations broke above 6,970 points, up 0.7%. The Russell 2000 jumped up to 1.2% to 2,635, setting another all-time high and marking its fifth gain in the past six sessions. Blue-chip stocks also hovered near record levels, with the **Dow Jones Industrial Average** trading around 49,555. The tech-heavy **Nasdaq 100** advanced 1% but remained roughly two percentage points below its late-October peak. **December nonfarm payrolls** rose by 50,000, slightly below expectations of 60,000, confirming a continued cooling in employment growth. The brighter signal came from the unemployment rate, which unexpectedly declined to 4.4% from 4.5%, suggesting the labor market may be stabilizing after months of gradual deterioration. On the consumer side, the University of Michigan reported **stronger-than-expected sentimen**t at the start of the year. The index climbed to 54, its highest level since September. Investors are now almost fully pricing in the Federal Reserve to leave **interest rates** unchanged at its late-January meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Expectations remain alive for two rate cuts later in the year. Among notable movers, **Vistra Corp.** (NYSE:VST) surged after securing a 20-year agreement with **Meta Platforms Inc.** (NASDAQ:META) to supply more than 2,600 megawatts of zero-carbon energy from nuclear plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Shares rallied more than 13%. **Intel Corp.** (NASDAQ:INTC) also jumped 10%, reaching its highest levels since March 2024, after President **Donald Trump** described his recent meeting with CEO Lip-Bu Tan as "a great meeting." Commodities extended their advance. **Silver** rebounded sharply, climbing 4% to the $80-an-ounce level. **Gold** added 0.6% to $4,500 an ounce, while **copper** rose nearly 2%. **Crude oil** was on track for a weekly gain, with WTI crude eyeing back-to-back 3% advances on Thursday and Friday, despite early-week pressure tied to geopolitical developments in Venezuela. **Bitcoin** (CRYPTO: BTC) traded flat near $91,000, showing little movement for the week and continuing to lag equities and precious metals. ## **Friday’s Performance In Major U.S. Indices, ETFs** | Major Indices | Price | % Change | | ------------- | --------- | -------- | | Nasdaq 100 | 25,773.72 | +1% | | S&P 500 | 6,973.17 | +0.7% | | Dow Jones | 49,554.46 | +0.6% | | Russell 2000 | 2,632.10 | +1.1% | *Updated by 12:50 p.m. ET* According to Benzinga Pro data: - The **Vanguard S&P 500 ETF** (NYSE:VOO) advanced 0.7% to $638.49. - The **SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF** (NYSE:DIA) moved 0.5% higher to $495.06. - The tech-heavy **Invesco QQQ Trust Series** (NASDAQ:QQQ) climbed 1.0% to $626.40. - The **iShares Russell 2000 ETF** (NYSE:IWM) traded at $261.29, up 1.2%. - The **Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund** (NYSE:XLU) outperformed, rising 1.6%, while the **Health Care Select Sector SPDR** Fund (NYSE:XLV) lagged, flat on the session. ## **Russell 1000's Top 5 Gainers On Friday** | Stock Name | % Change | | ------------------------------------------ | -------- | | **UWM Holdings Corporation** (NYSE:UWMC) | +12.85% | | **Vistra Corp.** | +10.53% | | **Builders FirstSource, Inc**. (NYSE:BLDR) | +11.06% | | **AST SpaceMobile, Inc.** (NASDAQ:ASTS) | +9.51% | | **SanDisk Corporation** (NASDAQ:SNDK) | +12.90% | ## **Russell 1000's Top 5 Losers On Friday** | Stock Name | % Change | | ------------------------------------------ | -------- | | **Under Armour, Inc.** (NYSE:UAA) | -6.25% | | **Reddit, Inc.** (NYSE:RDDT) | -5.58% | | **Maplebear Inc.** (NASDAQ:CART) | -5.25% | | **Lululemon Athletica Inc.** (NASDAQ:LULU) | -4.34% | | **DoorDash, Inc.** (NYSE:DASH) | -3.55% | *Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.* ### Related Stocks - [VST.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VST.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [New Report: Surplus Tax Revenue from a Single Data Center Could Pay Every Household in a Rural County Up to $8,900 a Year](https://longbridge.com/en/news/298494772.md) - [Bitcoin Suisse to cut up to half its Swiss jobs in overseas shift](https://longbridge.com/en/news/298893831.md) - [Osmosis Took 74 Days To Discover A 40-BTC Nomic Exploit That Left Its Bitcoin-Backed Asset 36% Unbacked](https://longbridge.com/en/news/298903281.md) - [XRP crypto analyst price projection reaches $60—but one major hurdle comes first](https://longbridge.com/en/news/298664571.md) - [Strive buys additional 469 Bitcoin, pushing total holdings to 25,000 BTC](https://longbridge.com/en/news/298919149.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**