Dow closes more than 150 points lower as stocks take a break from their rally: Live updates
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 162.26 points, or 0.41%, closing at 39,313.64. The S&P 500 dipped 0.31% to finish at 5,218.19, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.27% and settled at 16,384.47. The market is on track for its fifth consecutive month of gains, with the major U.S. stock benchmarks crossing new all-time closing high levels last week. The S&P 500 added roughly 2.3% last week, while the Dow gained just under 2% for its best week since December, nearing the 40,000 level. The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, jumped about 2.9% during the period. These advances were fueled by the Federal Reserve's latest remarks that maintained central bankers' rate-cutting timeline for this year, as well as investors' ongoing enthusiasm for tech stocks amid the AI-powered rally. Overall investor sentiment remains above its historical average, reflecting persistent market optimism. Still, some investors fear the potential impact of an overextended rally and higher-for-longer interest rates. Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research, also noted that equities have gotten expensive, with the S&P now trading at a 33% premium to its average price-to-earnings ratio over the last 20 years, he said. This week, investors will gain further insight about the path of inflation from the February personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, released Friday morning. The market's reaction will be determined on the following Monday, given the Good Friday holiday.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/24/stock-market-today-live-updates.html