Stocks closed out the first quarter of 2021 on a high note on Wednesday with the S&P 500 rallying 0.4% and hitting an intraday record high.
 | WED, MAR 31, 2021 | | | | DOW | | NAME | LAST | CHG | %CHG | | AAPL | 122.15 | +2.25 | +1.88% | | MSFT | 235.77 | +3.92 | +1.69% | | INTC | 64.00 | +0.23 | +0.36% | |
| | S&P 500 | | NAME | LAST | CHG | %CHG | | AAPL | 122.15 | +2.25 | +1.88% | | VIAC | 45.10 | -1.51 | -3.24% | | GE | 13.13 | -0.17 | -1.28% | |
| | NASDAQ | | NAME | LAST | CHG | %CHG | | AAPL | 122.15 | +2.25 | +1.88% | | AMD | 78.50 | +2.50 | +3.29% | | MSFT | 235.77 | +3.92 | +1.69% | |
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Stocks closed out the first quarter of 2021 on a high note on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 rallying 0.4% and hitting an intraday record high. Tech companies, bouncing back from recent weakness, lifted the index. The S&P 500's 4.2% gain in March marks its best month since November. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was the standout performer today, gaining more than 1.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 85 points.  Today, President Joe Biden also unveiled an infrastructure plan totaling more than $2 trillion. The major indexes closed out the first quarter of the year with gains, as investors bet on a strong economic recovery, rising gross domestic product for the nation, and a successful vaccine rollout. For the quarter, the blue-chip Dow and the S&P 500 rose 7.8% and 5.8%, respectively. It was their fourth positive quarter in a row. The Nasdaq was the relative underperformer for the quarter, gaining just 2.8%, as the group was pressured by rising interest rates. Technology stocks are especially sensitive to rising rates because they depend on borrowing money cheaply to invest in their future growth. |
