Category: Markets

Dollar Slides After Inflation Surprise Spooks Bulls

LONDON—A sliding dollar came under more pressure on Thursday, as traders took surprisingly slow U.S. inflation as a signal U.S. interest rate rises will be all but finished by month’s end. U.S. data on Wednesday showed inflation slowed a lot faster than expected last month. That gave rise to the biggest one-day dollar sell-off in…


Oil Benchmark Brent Hovers Above $80 After Pricing in US Data

LONDON—Global oil benchmark Brent hovered above $80 a barrel on Thursday after U.S. inflation data implied interest rates in the world’s biggest economy are close to their peak. Data released on Wednesday showed U.S. consumer prices rose modestly in June and registered their smallest annual increase in more than two years as inflation continued to…


Stocks Around 2023 Highs as Disinflation Signal Brings Some Relief

LONDON—Global stocks traded around their highs for the year on Thursday as investors bet that the Federal Reserve was finally taming inflation and could end its rate hiking cycle as soon as this month. U.S. data on Wednesday showed consumer prices rose modestly in June, registering the smallest annual increase in more than two years…


Florida Becomes Nation’s Inflation Hot Spot, Housing a Major Contributor

Florida has become the nation’s inflation hot spot. Data released on July 12 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.2 percent in June, behind a 0.1 percent increase in May. Overall, there was an increase of 3.0 percent over the last 12 months before a seasonal…


Stock Market Today: Wall Street Returns to Highest Level in More Than a Year After Inflation Cools

NEW YORK—Wall Street returned to its highest level in more than a year on Wednesday after a report showed inflation cooled a bit more than expected last month, which hopefully takes some more pressure off the economy. The S&P 500 rose 32.90, or 0.7 percent to 4,472.16 to reach its strongest closing level since April…


Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold, and Other Commodities (July 12)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for August delivery rose 92 cents to $75.75 a barrel Wednesday. Brent crude for September delivery rose 71 cents to $80.11 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for August delivery rose 5 cents $2.67 a gallon. August heating oil rose 2 cents to $2.60 a gallon. August natural gas fell 10 cents to…


How Major US Stock Indexes Fared July 12

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street after a report showed inflation cooled a bit more than expected last month. The S&P 500 rose 0.7 percent Wednesday. The Dow added 86 points, or 0.3 percent, and the Nasdaq rose 1.2 percent. Treasury yields tumbled in the bond market as the cooler inflation data pushed traders to…


Central Banks Are Increasingly Interested in CBDCs, Says BIS Survey

At least 93 percent of central banks are already researching the implementation of central bank digital currencies (CBCD), according to a recent survey. Twenty-four central banks in emerging and in advanced economies are expected to have digital currencies in circulation by 2030, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said in a survey published on July…


27 Percent of Jobs at High Risk From AI Revolution, Says OECD

PARIS—More than a quarter of jobs in the OECD rely on skills that could be easily automated in the coming artificial intelligence revolution, and workers fear they could lose their jobs to AI, the OECD said on Tuesday. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a 38-member bloc, spanning mostly wealthy nations but…


Wall Street Opens Higher as Inflation Cools in June

Wall Street’s main indexes opened higher on Wednesday after data showed inflation cooled further in June, lifting investor hopes that the Federal Reserve is nearing the end of its monetary tightening cycle. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 133.86 points, or 0.39 percent, at the open to 34,395.28. The S&P 500 opened higher by 28.43…