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Stocks posted their second straight weekly gain amid a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
The S&P (^GSPC) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) were up more than 3% over the last five days while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) surged more than 4%.
All three indexes traded mostly flat on Friday. The indecisive trading in stocks comes as investors await the results of weekend talks on the tenuous ceasefire in the US-Iran war and follows March inflation data that showed a surge in consumer prices after the start of the war.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) moved back into green figures for the year on Thursday, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) and the S&P 500 (^GSPC) remain off just less than 1% for the year.
S&P 500 (^GSPC)
The release of the Consumer Price Index data on Friday showed the annual headline rate soared in March to 3.3%. Prices rose 0.9% from February, the largest monthly gain since 2022. The rapid acceleration from February’s inflation level of 2.6% came as the US-Iran war sent gas prices skyrocketing.
Investors are now focused on the Iran-US talks slated to occur this weekend, looking for signs the fragile two-week truce might lead to a longer-lasting plan for peace.
Ahead of the meeting, President Trump ramped up pressure on Iran to lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with little sign of success. Traffic through the world’s most critical chokepoint for energy supply is still thin.



