The U.S. stock market is approaching record highs, with the S&P 500 closing less than 1% below its December peak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite are also within 2% of their all-time highs. This surge comes amid renewed optimism on Wall Street, driven by expectations of deregulation and corporate tax cuts under President Donald Trump's second term. Additionally, the announcement of a $500 billion private sector investment in AI infrastructure, led by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle under the project 'Stargate,' has further boosted investor sentiment. Oracle and Nvidia have seen significant gains following the announcement, with Oracle up 10% in pre-market trading and Nvidia up 3%. The VIX, a measure of market volatility, is at 14.83, reflecting subdued market uncertainty. Analysts remain optimistic about continued growth, citing favorable policies, improving economic conditions, and the Nasdaq's ongoing bull run.