*By Carlo Versano*
Stocks bounced back Friday with the Dow Industrials opening higher by 400 points and a strong showing from the FAANG stocks.
At the open, shares of Facebook ($FB), Amazon ($AMZN), Apple ($AAPL), Netflix ($NFLX), and Google parent Alphabet ($GOOGL) added $100 billion to the companies' collective market cap, erasing half the losses from the past two days.
The rally follows a bruising two-day sell-off on Wall Street. A bevy of factors has contributed to the worst week for stocks since February. Among them, worries over tightening monetary policy and the effects of a trade war with China starting to show themselves.
The White House dispatched top officials to quell concerns over the turmoil, even as the president extended his attack on Fed Chair Jerome Powell for what he called "loco" rate hikes.
Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin said on CNBC Friday that the markets were seeing a "natural correction" after riding so high since Trump's election. Economic adviser Larry Kudlow [told Cheddar](https://www.cheddar.com/videos/kudlow-tech-still-aint-bad-even-with-correction) tech stocks still "ain't bad" despite leading the markets downward.
Verizon is taking steps to speed up its 5G network in rural areas. The company said it plans to extend its C-band 5G network across a larger suburban and rural footprint, meaning faster speeds for customers in those areas.
Facebook parent company Meta's first-quarter results surpassed Wall Street's modest expectations on both profit and revenue, sending its stock soaring in after-hours trading.
Another automaker is trying to cut its workforce to trim expenses and stay competitive as the industry makes the long and costly transition to electric vehicles.
The U.S. economy slowed sharply from January through March, decelerating to just a 1.1% annual pace as higher interest rates hammered the housing market and businesses reduced their inventories.
Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell last week as the labor market continues to show strength despite some weakness in other parts of the economy.
Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has avoided starting her more than 11-year prison sentence on Thursday by deploying the same legal maneuver that enabled her co-conspirator in a blood-testing hoax to remain free for an additional month.
When people think of asset classes, most think of stocks and bonds. Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst with Bankrate.com, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the current economy is making the cash savings account a more worthwhile investment than it's been in previous years.
