Nasdaq surges to lead US stocks higher heading into the final session of 2022

The tech-laden Nasdaq led the charge as US stocks soared at the end of the day.

Some of the heavy losses that have pushed shares down more than 60% this year have beenclawed back with a second straight day of gains. The S&P 500 gained more than 1%.

There are signs of optimism among investors heading into the final trading session of the year, with fresh jobless claim data fueling hope that the Federal Reserve could move to pause rate tightening in the future. The labor market is extremely tight and claims for state-level unemployment benefits rose to 225,000 last week.

The US markets closed at 4 pm on Thursday.

What else is going on?

• Here's Insider's list of the biggest market losers in 2022 led by Elon Musk and Sam Bankman-Fried. 
• Fundstrat says low investor sentiment means the market is nearing a bottom. 
• Credit Suisse thinks the risk of a US recession is declining and predicts a rally in stocks. 

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