( The Closing Bell will be updated sometime after 4:00 PM CDST to include the latest update from IBD and Bloomberg Evening Briefing.)
U.S. stocks rose Friday and looked set to close out the quarter with their best gains in nearly a decade, buoyed by fresh signs that inflationary pressures remained contained at the start of the year.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 211 points, or 0.82%, to 25928. The S&P 500 rose 0.67% and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.78%.
All three indexes are on track to notch quarterly gains, with the S&P 500 up almost 13% and headed for its best showing since 2009.
Stocks have recouped much of the losses they suffered in the final months of 2018 as central banks have signaled a willingness to delay interest-rate increases for the foreseeable future.
Commerce Department data Friday showed a key measure of inflation rose 0.1% in January from the prior month—less than the 0.2% that economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected. Throughout the past year, inflation has failed to consistently hold above the Fed’s 2% target, reassuring investors who had last year feared rising prices might weigh on corporate profits.
Technology shares jumped Friday, extending a streak of gains that have left them the strongest-performing sector in the S&P 500 for the year.
Facebook and Netflix , both up on the day, headed for a 27% and 33% rise, respectively, for the quarter. Signs that profits continue to boom among technology-focused companies have helped drive share prices higher.
Another standout in the first quarter: energy stocks. Shares of companies like Hess and Devon Energy have soared more than 40% since the start of the year, boosted by soaring oil prices.
Meanwhile, bets on volatility picking up waned. The Cboe Volatility Index, which tracks investors’ expectations for stock swings, headed for a 45% decline for the quarter—on track for its second steepest slide ever.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note—considered a bedrock for global finance because it is used to help set borrowing costs—was at 2.412% Friday, up slightly from Thursday but well below the 2.684% where it ended last year.
Nine of the eleven S&P 500 Sectors led by Healthcare and Industrials were higher. Energy and Real Estate finished down for the day.
Regards
Ted
MarketWatch:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stock-futures-rise-as-wall-street-looks-to-wrap-up-week-month-and-quarter-with-gains-for-most-indexes-2019-03-29/printWSJ:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stocks-rise-as-u-s-china-trade-talks-resume-11553850309Bloomberg:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-28/asia-stocks-set-for-mixed-start-bond-rally-eases-markets-wrap?srnd=premiumIBB
https://www.investors.com/market-trend/stock-market-today/dow-jones-soars-211-points-rebounds-off-key-support/Reuters:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks/trade-hopes-spark-wall-street-rally-sp-set-for-best-quarter-since-2009-idUSKCN1RA1B3CNBC:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/stock-market-us-china-trade-talks-in-focus-on-wall-street.htmlU.K.:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/london-markets-up-despite-falling-business-investment-2019-03-29/printEurope:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-stocks/european-stocks-advance-on-u-s-china-trade-optimism-hm-boost-idUSKCN1RA14OAsia:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-stocks-advance-as-us-china-resume-trade-talks-2019-03-28/printBonds:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/us-bonds-traders-monitor-new-data-and-fed-speeches.htmlCurrencies:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/forex-market-us-treasury-yields-dovish-central-banks-in-focus.htmlOil:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/oil-market-opec-supply-cuts-us-sanctions-in-focus.htmlGold
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/gold-market-dollar-moves-global-economic-slowdown-in-focus.htmlWSJ: Markets At A Glance:
https://markets.wsj.com/usMajor ETFs % Change:
https://www.barchart.com/etfs-funds/etf-monitorSPDR's Sector Tracker:
http://www.sectorspdr.com/sectorspdr/tools/sector-trackerSPDR's Bloomberg Sector Performance Pie Chart:
https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/sectorsCurrent Futures:
https://finviz.com/futures.ashx 
