How major US stock indexes fared Friday 3/31/2023

Stocks rallied on Wall Street and closed out a winning March despite a long list of worries for investors. The S&P 500 gained 1.4% Friday and rose 3.5% for the month, with tech stocks leading the way. The index also notched its second winning quarter in a row after tumbling through most of last year on worries about high interest rates. Friday’s gains came after a report showed inflation slowed in February, though it was still high on a historical basis. A slowdown in inflation could give the Federal Reserve more leeway to take it easier on interest rates.