Research shows that companies that initiated a stock split normally return 25%, on average, in the year following the announcement, compared with average increases of 12% for the S&P 500, according to data compiled by Bank of America analyst Jared Woodard.

Small-cap stocks just saw their longest winning streak in three and a half years, after the Federal Reserve recalibrated its monetary policy with a big interest-rate cut.

The S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent on Thursday, rallying a day after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point.

The decision by the Fed's policy-setting committee to cut interest rates for the first time since March 2020 was prefaced by an unusual amount of market uncertainty as to how much the central bank would lower its benchmark rate from a two-decade high of 5.25% to 5.5%, where it has stood since July 2023.

Asian stocks surged on Friday with Japan’s Nikkei leading regional gains after Wall Street romped to records following the Federal Reserve’s big cut to interest rates. U.S. futures and oil prices were lower.

Wall Street romped to records as a delayed jubilation swept markets worldwide following the Federal Reserve's big cut to interest rates.