US Stocks End Q1 on High Note, But Uncertainty Looms Ahead

Despite a banking crisis and cryptocurrency meltdowns, US stocks gained during the first quarter of 2023, with the S&P 500 ending the quarter up about 7% and the Nasdaq soaring nearly 17%. However, investors say that celebrating a Fed victory against inflation would be premature. The end of March means that there will be a new month’s worth of economic releases for investors to parse through, starting with a slew of jobs data this coming week. The Federal Reserve’s job has been made more complicated by the tumult in the financial sector, since it’s unclear whether the cracks in the financial sector will widen.