How markets smashed records during the first quarter

A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business’ Before the Bell newsletter. Not a subscriber? You can sign up right here. You can listen to an audio version of the newsletter by clicking the same link. Before the Bell is off on Friday, March 29 and will be back on Sunday, March 31. The first quarter of 2024 was a record-smasher for markets, even as Wall Street contended with higher-for-longer interest rates. Investors ended 2023 on an exuberant …