Ken Sweet

U.S. stocks ended a strong 2014 with moderate declines Wednesday.

Can the U.S. hold everyone else above water? That is the question investors are asking as Wall Street heads into 2015.

The U.S. stock market ended slightly lower Tuesday, avoiding the sharp declines in Europe and Asia thanks to a rally in beaten-down energy companies.

U.S. stocks moved lower Thursday after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi hinted that the bank is ready to back a big monetary stimulus, but would be delaying any action until next year.

US bank earnings rose 7.3 percent in the July-Sept. quarter from a year earlier, as banks reduced their expenses and continued to lend out more money, which help drive up revenue.

For stock investors, there was no shortage of drama in October.

The U.S. stock market marched higher Tuesday, giving the Standard & Poor’s 500 index its best day of the year.

Investors flooded into the U.S. Treasury market in a way not seen since the depths of the financial crisis, causing the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note to fall below 2 percent for the first time in more than a year.