MARKET SNAPSHOT
U.S. stocks posted modest gains as the consumer price index ticked higher in October. Treasury yields were mixed as traders weighed rising expectations for a quarter-point rate cut by the Fed in December against the potentially inflationary implications of the incoming Trump administration. Oil prices continued to edge higher, rebounding somewhat from their recent weakness. Gold prices continued to tumble as the dollar posted another day of gains.
MARKET WRAPS
EQUITIES
The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up, while bitcoin prices topped $90,000 for the first time.
The latest read on inflation showed consumer prices rose 2.6% from a year earlier, in line with economists' expectations. Core inflation, at 3.3%, also matched forecasts.
Traders ramped up bets on another Fed rate cut after the report. Futures prices implied a roughly four-in-five chance that the Fed will deliver its third rate cut of the year in December, up from a probability of less than three-in-five a day earlier, CME Group data showed.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%. The S&P 500 eked out a slim gain of less than 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.3%.
Earlier Wednesday, Chinese shares ended mostly higher, supported by telecom and media stocks.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.5%, the Shenzhen Composite Index rose 0.2% and the ChiNext Price Index gained 1.1%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index, however, closed 0.1% lower.
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average lost 1.7%, weighed by auto and pharmaceutical stocks, amid persistent concerns about higher borrowing costs.
Stocks in Australia slipped, as the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark Index declined 0.8%, the third consecutive day of decreases.
New Zealand's NZX-50 shed 0.6% amid weakness in banks and utilities.
COMMODITIES
Oil futures finished higher as traders weighed prospects for energy demand, U.S. production, and oil and gas drillers under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 0.5% to settle at $68.43 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. January Brent crude rose 0.5% to $72.28 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe.
Although the changing of the guard in Washington, D.C., is a "reprieve to American producers, it's foolish to expect an immediate spurt in oil volume," said Manish Raj, managing director at Velandera Energy Partners.
Front-month gold futures were down for the fourth consecutive trading session, with the contract dropping 0.7% to $2,580.80 an ounce.
Gold is off 4.4% since the sell-off began Friday.
TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES
Inflation Stays Firm, but Not Enough to Derail December Fed Cut
Consumer prices edged up in October after having recorded the slowest rate of growth in 3 1/2 years in the previous month, a sign of how inflation continues to move lower on an uneven and bumpy path.
The latest report likely wasn't enough to derail another interest-rate cut from the Federal Reserve in December. But together with solid consumer spending and steady hiring, firmer inflation could kick off a bigger debate at officials' next meeting over whether to slow the pace of rate cuts early next year.
The Labor Department on Wednesday reported that consumer prices in October rose 2.6% from a year earlier. That marks a pickup from the previous month, when the consumer-price index was up 2.4%.
U.S. Debt Will Likely Weigh on Monetary Policy, Says Fed's Schmid
Kansas City Federal Reserve President Jeff Schmid said Wednesday that the "tremendous" growth of government debt will leave an imprint on U.S. monetary policy, but he doesn't expect the larger deficits to drive up inflation in the long run.
In prepared remarks at the Dallas Fed's Energy and the Economy conference on Wednesday, Schmid addressed what many consider to be a major economic concern-the rising national debt. Schmid cited debt as one of several longer-term trends, including growth in labor productivity and an aging population, that he believes will shape the environment for monetary policy in the coming years.
In the years leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic, Schmid said that one of the reasons often cited for lower interest rates was that the U.S. dollar is considered the world's currency and a safe asset.
Amazon Launches 'Haul' to Sell Low-Priced Items to Compete with Temu, Shein
Amazon.com is launching a new section to its app focused on items that cost $20 or less as the e-commerce leader looks to fend off rising competition from low-cost platforms Temu and Shein.
Amazon said the offering, dubbed Amazon Haul, was available to some customers in the U.S. starting Wednesday.
The Seattle company said all items in the new section would be priced at $20 or less with the majority around $10 or under. Purchases over $3 would be eligible for free returns within 15 days of delivery, a slight difference from its return policy under an Amazon Prime membership. Items ordered through Haul will take up to one to two weeks for delivery.
Advanced Micro Devices to Cut Global Headcount by 4%
Advanced Micro Devices is reducing its global workforce by 4% after reporting that most of the growth it sees comes from its AI chips and other products for data centers.
Shares fell 2.2% to $140.44 in midday trading. The stock has dropped 4.8% since the beginning of the year, though is up 19% over the past 12 months.
The chip maker better known as AMD on Wednesday said this round of layoffs is part of a shift in its broader business strategy.
7-Eleven Owner Receives Buyout Proposal From Founder's Son
A son of the founder of the Japanese retail giant that owns the 7-Eleven convenience-store chain has proposed a buyout of the holding company, the latest twist in a global standoff between the Japanese company and the Canadian owner of Circle K, which has proposed its own takeover deal.
Junro Ito, vice president at Seven & i Holdings, is the second son of founder Masatoshi Ito, who started from a single outlet in Japan to build the business empire behind one of the world's biggest and best-known convenience-store brands. Seven & i said he and an affiliated firm made the proposal, but didn't provide details.
Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard had previously made a $39 billion bid for Seven & i, which the Japanese company rejected. Last month, Seven & i said it had received a new bid from Couche-Tard, without elaborating.
Expected Major Events for Thursday
00:00/AUS: Nov Consumer Inflationary Expectations Survey
00:30/AUS: Oct Labour Force
03:00/SKA: Sep Money Supply index L
21:30/NZ: Oct BNZ - BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index $(PMI.UK)$
23:50/JPN: 3Q 1st Preliminary Quarterly GDP Estimates
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 13, 2024 16:48 ET (21:48 GMT)
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