Wall Street Closes Third Straight Winning Week Amid Hope for Rate Cuts

Reports of slowing inflation and better than expected retail earnings contribute to optimistic market outlook.

Wall Street closed out a third straight winning week, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq composite, and Russell 2000 index all seeing gains.
Several retailers reported better than expected results for the latest quarter, contributing to a stronger earnings reporting season than anticipated.
Rising hope that the Federal Reserve is done hiking interest rates and may turn to cutting them next year has been a key driver for the stock market's performance.
Reports of slowing inflation have lifted optimism that the Fed would not hike rates, contributing to a winning week for U.S. equities.
Oil prices have plunged amid worries about a mismatch between too much crude supply and too little demand, which has been a source of potential worry about inflation.