However, the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC -0.01%) is generally considered the best barometer for the overall U.S. stock market due to its scope and diversity. Read on to see the S&P 500's average return over the last decade, and to learn what Wall Street expects in the future.

Wall Street is flirting with a record again as U.S. stock indexes drift in mixed trading. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% at the open of Tuesday’s trading and is sitting just above its all-time closing high set last month.

Major U.S. averages slipped Tuesday afternoon, as investors kicked off the holiday-shortened trading week with attention on geopolitics, and an eye on the market circling record highs. The benchmark S&P 500 (SP500) shed -0.