Stocks surged to their highest weekly gains of 2024, fueled by post-election optimism that bolstered already strong sentiment on Wall Street. Major indexes saw modest increases on Friday—the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.6%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.4%, and the Nasdaq edged up 0.1% by the close of trading—but posted significant gains for the week. The Dow’s 4.6% increase marked its best week since November 2023, the S&P 500’s 4.7% rise was also its strongest since last November, and the Nasdaq’s 5.7% jump was its steepest since September. All three major U.S. indexes achieved their highest-ever weekly closes. The Russell 2000, which tracks 2,000 smaller American companies with a median market capitalization of about $1 billion, soared 8.5% since last Friday, marking its best weekly performance since April 2020.