Stocks Hold Near Record Highs, Eye Fifth Straight Monthly Gain on Hopes of Fed Rate Cuts
• Wall Street holding near record highs, coasting to a winning month and quarter • S&P 500 virtually flat after hitting an all-time high the previous day • Stock market on nearly unstoppable run since late October, S&P 500 heading for 5th straight winning month • Hopes that cooling inflation will lead Fed to cut interest rates several times later this year • Stock and bond markets could see volatility Thursday as institutional investors make final quarterly moves