The S&P 500 closed just shy of an all-time high Wednesday, a sign of the optimism that has sent stocks rallying this year after a punishing 2022. 

The benchmark index crept up 0.1% Wednesday, leaving it 0.3% shy of its January 2022 record close. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 0.2%. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, or about 111 points, its sixth record high this month.