Market's year-end hurdles | Biden forges ahead | Vaccine distribution plays

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7% for the week, and the S&P 500 lost 0.8% in that time period.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE SAT, NOV 21, 2020 WEEKEND BRIEF EDITOR'S NOTE A combination of positive coronavirus vaccine data and a rising number of cases left the market trapped in a seesaw this past week, preventing it from making a meaningful move one way or the other.   The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7% for the week, and the S&P 500 lost 0.8% in that time period. That marked the Dow's and S&P 500's first weekly declines in three weeks. The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, eked out a small one-week gain.   The market's muted performance came as the rate of new Covid-19 infections hit an all-time high in the U.S.   And many states have rolled back reopening plans and implemented fresh restrictions to curb the spread.   At the same time, the latest data on potential coronavirus vaccine candidates has raised expectations of a strong economic recovery further down the road.   The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca said Thursday their Covid-19 vaccine was safe, and it triggered a similar immune response among all adults. Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech said they applied for an emergency use authorization for their vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration.   "COVID-19 is pulling financial markets in two opposite directions," strategists at MarketDesk Research wrote in a note. "On one end of the spectrum are positive vaccine trial results. On the other end of the spectrum are rising COVID-19 cases."   The stock market's back and forth could continue in the week ahead as investors digest even more headlines related to the outbreak and potential vaccines, CNBC's Patti Domm writes.   And Mike Santoli points out that there are some under-the-radar forces investors might not be thinking about that could trip up the market into year end.   Next week will be a short one on Wall Street, with the markets closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday and Friday's session ending early.     Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world. Fred Imbert | CNBC Markets Reporter @foimbert MICHAEL SANTOLI'S MARKET COLUMN There are some under-the-radar hurdles that could trip up the stock market into year end   THE WEEK AHEAD Stocks may continue to struggle Thanksgiving week amid Covid-19 outbreaks   ACTIVIST SPOTLIGHT Former Chewy CEO tries to push GameStop to become the Amazon of the video-game industry   YOUR WEEKEND BRIEFING  Biden forges ahead with the transition while Trump paralyzes Washington Jim Cramer's week ahead: Start of a 'seasonally strong period' for stocks Stocks like UPS and Trane are set to benefit from the distribution of vaccines, analysts say Boom times have returned for venture-backed start-ups, says co-founder of $3 billion fintech Brex Investors should sell certain stocks including Apple into 2021, says Goldman In a concession to WarnerMedia, Amazon will remove HBO from Amazon Channels next year     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS