Stocks rise, still on pace for worst month since March 2020

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising Monday, trimming some of their worst monthly loss since the early days of the pandemic, as Wall Street closes a tumultous January wracked by worries that imminent interest-rate hikes will make everything in markets more challenging. The S&P 500 was 0.8% higher in midday trading. But it’s still down 6.8% since setting a record exactly four weeks ago and is on track for a loss of 6.3% this month. That would be its worst since falling 12.5% in March 2020, when it hit bottom after the pandemic suddenly shut down the global economy.