US: Dow ends at record on mixed day for stocks
THE Dow pushed to a fresh record on Monday on a mixed day for Wall Street as markets awaited key inflation data that will influence US monetary policy.
Tuesday’s consumer price index report for January is supposed to hold steady at 0.2 per cent.
Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers said investors are feeling “some nervousness” about a surprise uptick in inflation, which would “put rate cut expectations on hold.”
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 0.3 per cent at 38,797.38, a new all-time record.
The broad-based S&P 500 slipped 0.1 per cent to 5,021.84, edging down from a record, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index declined 0.3 per cent to 14,942.55.
Major US indices have been on a tear since late October as the Federal Reserve has shifted away from a cycle of interest rate increases to counter inflation.
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The US central bank has signaled it expects to cut interest rates in 2024, but probably not very soon.
In recent weeks, stocks have continued to climb following a largely solid earnings season.
Among individual companies, Diamondback Energy shares jumped 9.4 per cent after reaching an agreement to acquire private oil company Endeavor Energy Resources for about US$26 billion.
This was the latest big petroleum merger centered on the Permian Basin, a key production region in Texas and New Mexico.
Besides inflation data, this week’s calendar includes retail sales data for January, as well as earnings from Coca-Cola and Marriott International. AFP
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