Birds of a feather Several Wall Street analysts have similar ideas about how the S&P 500 will fare this year. The consensus is that investors can look forward to another year of solid returns, albeit not at the same level enjoyed over the past two years.

Wall Street's most watched gauge of investor anxiety rose to a three-week high on Friday as stock indexes sold off following a an upbeat jobs report that pushed back market expectations for further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.

The financial services sector is facing disruption as AI technologies threaten to displace a considerable share of its workforce.

The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) - widely seen as Wall Street's fear and volatility gauge - soared about 9% on Friday to a three-week-high, after the latest job market update led to a big recalibration in Federal Reserve rate cut expectations.

U.S. stocks tumbled, with the S&P 500 erasing its 2025 gains, after an upbeat jobs report stoked fresh inflation fears and reinforced bets that the Federal Reserve will be cautious in cutting interest rates this year.