What to watch today: Wall Street set for a steady open after Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq records

What to watch today: Wall Street set for a steady open after Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq records

BY THE NUMBERSStocks were headed toward a flat open, following a record run for stocks during Thursday's session. The Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 all posted record closes, continuing the market's remarkable comeback from the March lows. The Dow is up 63% since the March 23 pandemic closing low, the S&P 500 up 66%, and the Nasdaq up 86%. The averages are all on track for a positive week, with the Nasdaq having its largest weekly gain in 6 weeks.* U.S. Treasury yields move higher on glimmers of progress over fiscal stimulus (CNBC)Bitcoin broke above $23,000 again this morning, one day after the digital coin eclipsed that level for the first time in history. The cryptocurrency has surged during the pandemic, with its value more than tripling and a growing number of prominent investors embracing it. (CNBC)The Conference Board is out with the November index of leading economic indicators at 10 a.m. ET, with consensus forecasts calling for a 0.5% increase following October's 0.7% jump. Darden Restaurants (DRI) and Winnebago (WGO) are set to release quarterly numbers this morning, while Dow component Nike (NKE) has an unusual Friday after-the-bell earnings release. (CNBC)IN THE NEWSA key Food and Drug