Yesterday’s inflation report showed that US consumer price growth came in lower than expected in October and dropped from the month before. It’s a hopeful sign that Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s rate hikes, paired with easing supply chain snags, are starting to cool off inflation.
The deets:
The consumer price index increased 7.7% annually and 0.4% monthly. That yearly figure is the slowest rate since January.
But more important is the slowdown in core CPI, which is a better gauge of inflation because it strips out volatile food and gas prices. Core CPI rose 0.3% monthly in October, a big drop from 0.6% in September and August.
🇺🇸 How the Veterans Day holiday affects the stock and bond markets
The stock market remains open Friday, Nov. 11, the Veterans Day holiday in the U.S.,...
The stock market remains open Friday, Nov. 11, the Veterans Day holiday in the U.S., even though it counts as a holiday for the $53 trillion American bond market.
That means a full day of trading for stocks, which appear poised to book a robust week of gains, despite continued fears of a potential U.S. economic recession as the Federal Reserve works to tame stubbornly high costs of living.
Benchmark U.S. crude oil for December delivery rose 64 cents to $86.47 a barrel Thursday. Brent crude for Januarydelivery rose $1.02 to $93.67 a barrel.
Wholesale gasoline for December delivery rose 3 cents to $2.57 a gallon. December heating oilfell 9 cents to $3.57 a gallon. December natural gasrose 37 cents to $6.24 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Dow finishes up 1,200 points as stocks post best day since 2020
U.S. stocks closed sharply higher Thursday, with all three major indexes posting their best day...
U.S. stocks closed sharply higher Thursday, with all three major indexes posting their best day of gains since 2020 as investors cheered signs that U.S. inflation finally might be headed lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +3.70% shot up about 1,198 points, or 3.7%, ending near 33,712, marking its highest level since August and its best daily percentage gain since May 2020, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500 index SPX, +5.54% gained 5.5% and the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +7.35% closed up 7.4%, their best daily percentage increase since 2020. The sharp rally on Wall Street was led by gains in technology and communication shares, segments of the S&P 500 that booked massive gains of about 8.3% and 6.3%, respectively, according to FactSet. Buyers came out in force after the release of October's consumer-price index showed a 7.7% annual rate of inflation, down from 9.1% this summer, while spurring hopes that the Federal Reserve might be making headway in its fight to bring inflation down to its 2% target. That took some of the attention off the ongoing woes at crypto exchange FTX, with bitcoin BTCUSD, 14.09% down near a 2-year low. The 10-year Treasury rate also dropped to about 3.8% Thursday, down from a 4.2% high in October ahead of the three-day weekend for the U.S. bond market, which will remain closed on Friday for Veterans Day. U.S. stock exchanges, however, will remain open Friday.