S&P 500 ends within stone’s throw of record high as stocks clinch 3rd straight gain on Wednesday

U.S. stocks on Wednesday notched a third day of gains as investors weighed the effects of the omicron variant of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 on the economy. The S&P 500 index
SPX,
+0.31%
closed up 0.3% to reach 4,701, putting the broad-market benchmark within shouting distance from its Nov. 18 closing high at 4,704.54, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
+0.10%
eked out a 0.1% gain at 35,754.75, not from its Nov. 8 closing high at 36,432.22, while the Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP,
+0.64%
climbed 0.6% to around 15,787, bringing it within 2% of its all-time high.