Summary of the S&P 500 Performance in 2024

Summary of the S&P 500 Performance in 2024

Big Tech led another impressive year for the U.S. large-cap benchmark index, marking two consecutive years of stellar performance. The S&P 500 finished 2024 with a gain of 23.3%, following a 24.2% increase in 2023. This rebound follows a 19.4% decline in 2022, culminating in a total increase of 23.4% from the end of 2021 through December 31, 2024.

The index's growth was fueled by favorable macroeconomic conditions, including receding inflation, a resilient labor market, and favorable interest rates. Despite closing the year with a disappointing 0.4% decline on the final trading day, the S&P 500 added approximately $10 trillion in value over the course of the year.

Top 20 Best-Performing S&P 500 Stocks of 2024

Here are the 20 stocks in the S&P 500 that rose the most in 2024:

1. Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR): +340.5%

2. Vistra Corp. (VST): +257.9%

3. Nvidia Corp. (NVDA): +171.2%

4. United Airlines Holdings Inc. (UAL): +135.3%

5. Axon Enterprise Inc. (AXON): +130.1%

6. Texas Pacific Land Corp. (TPL): +111.0%

7. Broadcom Inc. (AVGO): +107.7%

8. Targa Resources Corp. (TRGP): +105.5%

9. Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM): +102.1%

10. Constellation Energy Corp. (CEG): +91.4%

11. Arista Networks Inc. (ANET): +87.7%

12. GoDaddy Inc. Class A (GDDY): +85.9%

13. Netflix Inc. (NFLX):  +83.1%

14. Deckers Outdoor Corp. (DECK): +82.3%

15. KKR & Co. Inc. (KKR): +78.5%

16. Royal Caribbean Group (RCL): +78.2%

17. Tapestry Inc. (TPR): +77.5%

18. Apollo Global Management Inc. (APO): +77.2%

19. NRG Energy Inc. (NRG): +74.5%

20. Walmart Inc. (WMT): +71.9%

S&P 500 Sector Performance for 2024

• Communication Services: +38.9%
• Information Technology: +35.7%
• Consumer Discretionary: +29.1%
• Financials: +28.4%
• Utilities: +19.6%
• Industrials: +15.6%
• Consumer Staples: +12.0%
• Energy: +2.3%
• Real Estate: +1.7%
• Healthcare: +0.9%
• Materials: -1.8%
• S&P 500 (Overall): +23.3%

Conclusion

The S&P 500 saw another year of robust growth, with the tech and energy sectors leading the charge. While the index faced some challenges in the final stretch of the year, the broader gains highlight the strength of U.S. equity markets amid improving economic conditions. As we move into 2025, investors remain cautiously optimistic about another potential year of gains.