Stocks Continue to Rally, With Investors More Confident in a Soft Landing.

Stocks continued to rally as investors grew more confident in a soft landing for the economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.1%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%. Producer prices and retail sales both fell, indicating a cooling economy and sparking hopes that the Federal Reserve's rate hikes may be winding down. The major indexes have risen sharply this week, with the S&P 500 advancing 7.4% and the Nasdaq Composite gaining 9.7% so far this month. Traders are pricing in a 100% chance that the Fed will leave its policy rate unchanged at the next two policy meetings. [Extracted from the article]