How major US stock indexes fared Friday

The Associated Press

The stock market clawed back from a midday drop Friday after coming to the edge of its first bear market since the beginning of the pandemic. The S&P 500 ended 18.7% below the record high it set in early January. A 20% decline would have been considered the beginning of a bear market. The benchmark index, the heart of many retirement accounts, came back from a loss of 2.3% to end just barely in the green. Rising interest rates, high inflation, the war in Ukraine, and a slowdown in China’s economy have been worrying investors. The Dow erased a 600-point drop.