US stocks fell on Wednesday after a hotter-than-expected producer price index reading and as traders awaited the Federal Reserve’s rate policy decision.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 235 points, or 0.5%. The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, as did the Nasdaq Composite.
The producer price index — which tracks the change in wholesale prices — rose 0.7% in February, well above the 0.3% that economists polled by Dow Jones had estimated. The report shows that inflation was already in a precarious spot prior to the Iran war breaking out — an event that has heightened stagflation fears amid rising oil prices.
Drone maker Swarmer shares jumped another 29% in morning trading on Wednesday.
Swarmer shares skyrocketed as much as 700% on Tuesday, making the artificial intelligence drone software company’s debut the best trading by a US stock since Newsmax’s blockbuster entry nearly a year ago.
Shares of the Austin, Texas-based firm closed up 520% at $31 on Tuesday. The surge triggered multiple volatility-based trading halts, including one less than a minute after the stock opened and initially dropped more than 10%.
Comments