Stocks Climb Amid Housing Slowdown

Markets closed higher for the third straight day, led by tech gains and optimism around potential tariff adjustments. Alphabet’s strong quarterly earnings brightened investor sentiment, though Intel’s weaker forecast introduced caution. Meanwhile, US existing home sales fell to the slowest March pace since 2009, even as the median sales price reached a record high. Analysts watch for signals on whether resilient stocks can offset concerns about a cooling housing sector.