VOO Crowned Smartest S&P 500 ETF as Index Nears $7,230 Record

The S&P 500 hovers near record highs at $7,230 after recovering from a ~9% pullback to $6,330 earlier this year, driven by 22.7% average earnings growth across 63% of reported companies and Fed's hold at 3.50-3.75% with rate cut signals. Morning commentary flagged catalysts like Friday's ~73k NFP print, KKR earnings test, and US-Iran risks amid bullish tone. Afternoon analysis compared ETFs, naming Vanguard's VOO the top pick for May due to $916B AUM, superior liquidity over SPY/IVV/SPYM, and near-identical 30% 1-year returns, with 78/100 AI sentiment.