U.S. stocks advanced, putting the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index on track for its fourth straight week of gains, as gauges for leading indicators and consumer sentiment advanced more than estimated. more

Returns from the U.S. equity bull market that started four years ago are matching those from the last half of the 1990s even as valuations are 28 percent lower. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has gained 26.2 percent annually, including dividends, since March 2009, the same as during the last 50 months of the technology bubble. more

General Treasurer Gina M. Raimondo has taken more media shots for her choice to allocate 22 percent of the state’s pension funds to alternative investments, including hedge funds. more