Stocks fell after a four-day rally that had lifted the S&P 500 to a record. Retailers’ losses overshadowed gains in telecom and utility shares ahead of a report Thursday that may show the US economy contracted in the first quarter. But the real action was in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to an 11-month low as investors continued to put money into bonds, extending a rally that has taken many by surprise. Yields were expected to climb and bond prices to fall as the Fed reduced its purchases of bonds and the economy improved. The opposite has happened. Stocks have ground out modest gains this year, but bond prices have surged.
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