How stimulus negotiations and other top news stories could affect the stock market — and your money

In the Spring and Summer of 2020, cases of Covid-19 continued to spike in hot spots around the country, leading to cancellations, layoffs, and furloughs. Despite the grim economic news, the stock market did not experience the lows it saw in March 2020 during the first wave of shutdowns and uncertainty. In fact, during the third-quarter of 2020, the Nasdaq hit a new all-time record high, and both the S&P and Dow had weekly periods of positive returns.