U.S. stocks ended April higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average booking its best monthly gain since January. Despite renewed focus on stress in the U.S. banking system, major stock indexes were able to post gains on Friday to end the week and month on higher ground, in part as earnings reports from several big technology companies, including Meta Platforms Inc. META were received positively by investors. The Dow DJIA rose about 272 points Friday, or 0.8%, ending near 34,098, according to preliminary FactSet levels. The S&P 500 index SPX posted a 0.8% gain, while the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP advanced 0.7%. Volatility in the stock market has remained in check, even as First Republic Bank FRC has been exploring talks with multiple partners about strategic options, including potentially asset sales, as its stock price has retreated by about 97% on the year through Friday. For the week, the Dow gained 0.9% and 2.5% for the month, its highest percentage gain in a month since January, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% for the week and 1.5% in April, while the Nasdaq gained 1.3% for the week and ended the month nearly unchanged.
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