US stocks fell today, with the Dow Jones and Standard & Poor’s 500 indexes ending four consecutive sessions of gains, on waning evidence of progress in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia as well as the Federal Reserve’s tightening of its monetary policy.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rebounded more than 5 percent in March after having started the year down for two consecutive months. However, the index is on track to record its first quarterly decline since the first quarter of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its height in the United States.
With inflation rising, speculation is growing that the Federal Reserve may become more motivated to raise interest rates, which could hamper economic growth.
According to preliminary data, the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 29.86 points, or 0.64 percent, to 4,601.74 points, while the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 177.48 points, or 1.21 percent, to 14,442.15 points.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 63.14 points, or 0.18 percent, to 35,231.05 points.