Stocks racked up more gains Friday as Wall Street closed out its best month since November 2020, a welcome breather for investors after a punishing year for the market.
The S&P 500 index, a benchmark for many stock funds, rose 1.4 percent and finished 9.1 percent higher for July. A rebound in technology stocks, big retailers, and other companies that rely on direct consumer spending helped power the index’s broad gains this month. The index is still down 13.3 percent for the year.
