S&P 500 Flat, Weekly Rally Holds as Fragile Iran Ceasefire Keeps Markets Watchful
The S&P 500 was little changed on Friday but remained on track for a solid weekly gain as investors monitored the fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3%, supported by gains in key semiconductor names such as Nvidia and Broadcom, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 221 points, or 0.5%.
The S&P 500 is up more than 3% for the week, heading for its best performance since November. The Dow has also gained more than 3% week to date, while the Nasdaq is poised to rise more than 4%. The rebound reflects a partial unwinding of geopolitical risk premiums after the temporary truce helped stabilize sentiment following weeks of conflict-driven volatility.
Inflation remained a central focus as markets assessed whether the Middle East energy shock could feed through to broader U.S. price pressures. March’s CPI report came in line with expectations, showing inflation at 0.9% month-on-month and 3.3% year-on-year. The report also captured a 10.9% jump in energy costs linked to the conflict, keeping attention on the risk of second-round inflation effects and the implications for the Federal Reserve’s policy path.
Source : Newsmaker.id
