The upcoming midterm elections could give the stock market a sorely needed boost by eliminating at least some of the uncertainty that’s clouding the way for investors.

Asian shares are trading mixed as a wait-and-see mood sets in following another — though more modest — day of sell-offs on Wall Street.

Stocks are closing lower on Wall Street Friday, leaving indexes with a second weekly loss in a row after another bout of turbulence shook markets.

Stocks continued to march higher on Wall Street Friday, giving the S&P 500 its latest record high and its fourth straight weekly gain.

Asian stock markets have risen after Wall Street hit a record high following an uptick in U.S. inflation and a order by regulators to suspend use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine.

Wall Street is gearing up for an avalanche of trading and volatility ahead of Teslas entry into the S&P 500 index. That makes Tesla the biggest company ever to be added to the S&P 500, and its expected to trigger a torrent of trading by institutional investors in the process. Tesla’s sky high valuation means a move in its stock price will have more of an impact on the S&P 500 than most companies. Despite such warnings, Tesla will soon be a fixture in S&P 500 index funds operated by big fund managers. “Now that it’s part of the S&P 500, it will push more institutional investors to join the crowd,” Bell said.

The market had been up for much of the day after the government reported that retail sales rose in September for the fifth straight month. That report appeared to overshadow new data showed U.S. industrial production had its weakest showing last month since the spring. Despite the market’s downbeat finish, the major stock indexes have already recouped most of their losses from September's market swoon. Across the S&P 500, analysts are expecting companies to report another drop in profits for the summer from year-ago levels. Several big companies report quarterly results next week, including Netflix, Coca-Cola, Tesla, Southwest Airlines and American Express.