U.S. Dow stock index briefly tops 40,000 for 1st time

The Dow stock index briefly topped the 40,000 line for the first time ever on Thursday amid growing optimism about the solid U.S. economy as recent data suggested stubborn inflation may ease and the Federal Reserve could begin cutting key interest rates in the fall.But the buying lost steam after the 30-issue Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an intraday record at 40,051.05, also on the back of strong corporate earnings reports.The index finished at 39,869.38, down 38.62 points, or 0.1 percent, from the closing record of 39,908.00 marked Wednesday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index shed …READ FULL ARTICLE