Wall Street edges higher in a wobbly start to 2026

Stocks eked out small gains on Wall Street Friday in a wobbly day of trading to kick off the new year. Markets were mostly quiet on the first trading day of 2026, with the influential technology sector driving much of the up-and-down action. The mostly minor moves also cap off a tepid and holiday-shortened week. Markets were closed on Thursday for New Year’s day. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 12.97 points, or 0.2%, to 6,858.47. The benchmark index is coming off a gain of more than 16% in 2025. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 319.10 points, or…