Stock traded up slightly Thursday after some inflation data closely watched by the Federal Reserve came in cooler than expected.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 14 points, or 0.04%, higher. The S&P 500 gained 0.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite was near flat.
Stocks gained following the release of the October Core Personal Consumption Expenditures Index, a closely watched gauge of spending. October data showed the index rose 0.2%, below the consensus estimate of 0.3% collected from economists by Dow Jones. The 10-year Treasury yield decreased after the report.
The moves followed a sharp rally Wednesday, with the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P snapping three-day losing streaks after Powell appeared to confirm a slowdown in the central bank’s tightening — a question that’s lingered in recent weeks. The Dow jumped 737.24 points, or 2.2%, on Wednesday, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 surged 4.4% and 3.1%, respectively.
“Whether intentional or not, Powell sent a message that, in light of the tightening that’s already been done, he’s now more focused on the growth outlook and the employment picture than he is on bringing down inflation to 2%,” said Chris Senyek, chief investment strategist at Wolfe Research.
Wednesday also marked the end of a winning month for the major averages. The Nasdaq rose 4.37% — its second positive month in a row for the first time since a three-month streak ending December 2021. The S&P 500 and Dow rose 5.38% and 5.67%, respectively, to finish their second month of gains for the first time since August 2021.
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