Wall Street is sliding toward losses in premarket trading after Walmart, the nation’s biggest retailer and a bellwether for the health of the American consumer, gave a disappointing 2025 forecast.

However, the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC 0.24%) is generally considered the best barometer for the overall U.S. stock market due to its scope and diversity. Read on to see the S&P 500's average return over the last decade, and to learn what Wall Street expects in the future.

Walmart delivered another year of strong sales and profits, but executives expressed caution about an uncertain economic landscape.

U.S. stock indexes are edging lower on a relatively quiet Wall Street. The S&P 500 slipped by 0.2%, a day after setting an all-time high.