Stocks surge, ending strong first half with a bang: Stock market news today

Stocks climbed Friday, ending a strong first half on a high note amid more signs of cooling from the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 1.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose over 300 points, or just under 1%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) added 1.5%. All three major stock benchmarks logged strong performances for both the year’s second quarter and first half. The Nasdaq is up more than 30% since the start of the year, according to Yahoo Finance data. That represented its best first half of the year since 1983, according to data from Bespoke Investment. The benchmark S&P 500 has gained around 16%, while the Dow has put up a more modest 4% gain. On Friday, the Fed’s preferred inflation index showed prices rose 3.8% in May on a year-over-year basis, down from a 4.4% year-over-year jump in April. And from April to May, prices ticked up just 0.1%. The data comes after a surprise upward revision to first-quarter GDP showed the US economy is a lot stronger than Wall Street thought. Growing faith in that strength has helped drive this year’s rally in stocks, even though that resilience likely means rates will stay higher for longer.