On Wall Street, Some Optimism Penetrates the Uncertainty

Stocks rallied this week as Washington passed an economic relief bill, leaving some on Wall Street cautiously optimistic that the panicky selling that had gripped the market earlier may have come to an end.

The S&P 500 had its best weekly percentage gain since March 2009.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its biggest weekly rally since 1938.

Still, market strategists know the outlook remains uncertain, at least until more progress can be made fighting the pandemic and the number of new cases level off and start dropping.

There is also the question about how big a hit company profits are taking.