AlphaWire

newswire

S&P 500 nears record high as mild inflation eases rate-hike concerns

2026-08-12·newswire-us-stock-215002
S&P 500 nears record high as mild inflation eases rate-hike concerns.

The S&P 500 closed near a record high, led by technology stocks, after moderate inflation data eased concerns about higher interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while the Nasdaq-100 gained 0.7%, reversing losses from earlier in the week.

The Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, fell to its lowest level since January, indicating that investors expect markets to remain stable in the near term. U.S. consumer-price data released Wednesday showed that prices rose in July in line with expectations. The year-over-year increase in a key measure matched its lowest growth rate since March 2021.

As investors turned their attention to the Federal Reserve's September rate decision, the market-implied probability of a rate hike fell to about 40% from 50% before the inflation data was released.

The CPI data and a weaker-than-expected jobs report “could lead hawkish Fed officials to hold off in September,” said Gary Schlossberg, global strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

“But given oil-price volatility stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, along with continued core-price pressures from a strong economy and the AI boom, we remain cautious about the near-term inflation outlook.” Earnings from data-center bellwethers CoreWeave Inc.

and Nebius Group NV strengthened confidence in the artificial-intelligence trade and also supported stocks. At the close, the S&P 500 was up 0.3% at 7,748.5; the Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed at 53,770.27; the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 26,588.49; the Nasdaq-100 gained 0.7% to 29,742.6; and the Russell 2000 advanced 0.6% to 3,045.483.

#Stocks #AI #Fed #Oil #Earnings

Charts

US_STOCK_NEWS chart 1
US_STOCK_NEWS chart 1

Full text

S&P 500 nears record high as mild inflation eases rate-hike concerns

The S&P 500 closed near a record high, led by technology stocks, after moderate inflation data eased concerns about higher interest rates. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while the Nasdaq-100 gained 0.7%, reversing losses from earlier in the week. The Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, fell to its lowest level since January, indicating that investors expect markets to remain stable in the near term. U.S. consumer-price data released Wednesday showed that prices rose in July in line with expectations. The year-over-year increase in a key measure matched its lowest growth rate since March 2021. As investors turned their attention to the Federal Reserve's September rate decision, the market-implied probability of a rate hike fell to about 40% from 50% before the inflation data was released. The CPI data and a weaker-than-expected jobs report “could lead hawkish Fed officials to hold off in September,” said Gary Schlossberg, global strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. “But given oil-price volatility stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, along with continued core-price pressures from a strong economy and the AI boom, we remain cautious about the near-term inflation outlook.” Earnings from data-center bellwethers CoreWeave Inc. and Nebius Group NV strengthened confidence in the artificial-intelligence trade and also supported stocks. At the close, the S&P 500 was up 0.3% at 7,748.5; the Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed at 53,770.27; the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 26,588.49; the Nasdaq-100 gained 0.7% to 29,742.6; and the Russell 2000 advanced 0.6% to 3,045.483.

The S&P 500 closed near a record high, led by technology stocks, after moderate inflation data eased concerns about higher interest rates.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while the Nasdaq-100 gained 0.7%, reversing losses from earlier in the week.

The Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, fell to its lowest level since January, indicating that investors expect markets to remain stable in the near term.

U.S. consumer-price data released Wednesday showed that prices rose in July in line with expectations. The year-over-year increase in a key measure matched its lowest growth rate since March 2021.

As investors turned their attention to the Federal Reserve's September rate decision, the market-implied probability of a rate hike fell to about 40% from 50% before the inflation data was released.

The CPI data and a weaker-than-expected jobs report “could lead hawkish Fed officials to hold off in September,” said Gary Schlossberg, global strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. “But given oil-price volatility stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, along with continued core-price pressures from a strong economy and the AI boom, we remain cautious about the near-term inflation outlook.”

Earnings from data-center bellwethers CoreWeave Inc. and Nebius Group NV strengthened confidence in the artificial-intelligence trade and also supported stocks.

At the close, the S&P 500 was up 0.3% at 7,748.5; the Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed at 53,770.27; the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 26,588.49; the Nasdaq-100 gained 0.7% to 29,742.6; and the Russell 2000 advanced 0.6% to 3,045.483.

← Back to archive