Resilient economy energizes investors, as financial markets end 2023 up 24%

News Snapshot:

NEW YORK (AP) — The S&P 500 closed out 2023 with a gain of more than 24% and the Dow finished near a record high, as easing inflation, a resilient economy and the prospect of lower interest rates buoyed investors, particularly in the last two months of the year. Stocks closed Friday with modest losses. The S&P 500 slipped 13.52 points, or 0.3%, to 4,769.83. That is still just 0.6% shy of an all-time high set in January of 2022 and it still left the benchmark index with a rare ninth consecutive week of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average...