Dow posts highest close in nearly 2 years, equities extend rally to five straight weeks

U.S. stocks powered higher on Friday, shrugging off tough talk from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell about it being too early to talk about rate cuts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
+0.82%
gained about 294 points, or 0.8%, ending near 36,245, according to preliminary FactSet data. The S&P 500 index
SPX,
+0.59%
rose 0.6%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP,
+0.55%
gained 0.6%. All three indexes also ended the week higher for five straight weeks. The gains allowed the Dow to clinch its highest close since since January 2022, while the S&P 500 finished at its highest level since March 2022, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The powerful rally in equities since early November has been attributed to easing inflation, falling long-term Treasury yields and expectations for rate cuts next year The 10-year Treasury yield
TMUBMUSD10Y,
4.200%
fell to 4.225% on Friday, after hitting 5% in October, ending the week at its lowest yield since early September, according to DJMD.