Order Reprints Text size The three major U.S. stock indexes closed with nominal losses. Investors, however, remain upbeat about the trajectory of the economy, based on the strength in value and small-cap stocks. The three major U.S. stock indexes were mixed Thursday, but beneath the surface, there was strength in the market. The S&P 500 slid 14.30 points, or 0.38%, to end at 3,795.54, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 16.31 points, or 0.12%, to close at 13,112.64. The biggest gainer in the S&P 500 was petroleum refiner HollyFrontier (ticker: HFC), with an 11% stock surge. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to speak in the evening in detail about fiscal stimulus. Trillions of dollars of fiscal stimulus have already shored up consumers’ savings, and a few trillion dollars more would add to the pent-up demand that could be unleashed when Covid-19 vaccines are widely distributed.