Market Wraps Up Best First Quarter in 5 Years

Benchmark S&P 500 is up more than 10%
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 28, 2024 3:08 PM CDT
Market Wraps Up Best First Quarter in 5 Years
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, March 20, 2024.   (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Wall Street coasted to the close of its latest winning month and quarter on Thursday—markets are closed on Friday because of Good Friday.

  • The S&P 500 ticked up 5 points, or 0.1%, to 5,254, adding to its all-time high set on Wednesday, per the AP. That marks the fifth straight winning month for the benchmark index, as well as the S&P's best first quarter since 2019, reports CNBC. The index is up about 10% in the first three months of the year.
  • The Dow rose 47 points, or 0.1%, to 39,807. The index is up more than 5% for the quarter.
  • The Nasdaq slipped 20 points, or 0.1%, to 16,379. The tech-centric index is up about 9% for the quarter.

On Thursday, RH jumped 17.8% even though the retailer of home decor reported weaker profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But it also indicated that demand is trending upward, and analysts say investors are ready to pounce on signs of a recovery in the housing market, especially with interest and mortgage rates expected to come down later this year. Elsewhere, Chemours fell 9.2% despite reporting better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It gave a forecast for earnings before taxes and other items in the current quarter that was below analysts' expectations.

Also on the losing end was Trump Media & Technology Group. The company behind Donald Trump's Truth Social fell 6.4% after soaring more than 14% in each of the past two days. Its stock has shot well beyond what critics say is reasonable for the money-losing company, driven by fans of Trump and investors hoping to cash in on the mania.

(More stock market stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X