Stocks Post Best First-Half Gains Since 1998

Closing out the first half of 2013, the gains in the stock market have not had this good a half-year since 1998.

U.S. stocks shook off recent fears of a coming shift by the Federal Reserve to a less market-friendly monetary policy and a weak day Friday to finish the quarter in positive territory. The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index, after a 2.4% second-quarter gain, finished the first half of 2013 up 12.6%, its best start to a year since 1998.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 2.3% in the quarter, extending its first-half gain to 13.8%. The Nasdaq composite notched a quarterly gain of 4.2% and is up 12.7% for the year.

By: Cheston Catalano

Cheston Catalano is a Kentucky-based journalist whose work has been featured in the Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle. He is a long-time contributor to Liberaland.