U.S. stock indexes are closing out their best week in two months with a flourish. The S&P 500 was 1.1% higher in midday trading and on track for its first winning week in the last three. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 398 points,

Wall Street started higher ahead of Trump's inauguration on Monday. Investors expect a flurry of executive orders, including on crypto and TikTok.

Its streaming division has also reached profitability, and subscriber gains should deliver margin expansion for the streaming business. Now, one Wall Street analyst is taking notice, calling the stock a buy on better times for the media business.

Asian shares are mixed after gains for oil and gas producers helped offset drops for Nvidia and other Big Tech companies on Wall Street.

Investors are starting 2025 with a conundrum: how to protect against potentially bigger risks while not missing out on a stock-market rally.

BMO Capital Markets forecasts the S&P 500 will reach 6,700, reflecting a gain of 13.2%. Chief investment strategist Brian Belski said he and his team "remain resolutely bullish," but expect "performance and fundamentals will more closely match the historical norms -- namely, in the high-single digit/low-double-digit percentage range in 2025."

U.S. stock index futures ticked up on Friday, as market participants digested a busy first full trading week of 2025. Cooler-than-expected inflation data has set Wall Street on track for its best week since the election last year.