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Wall Street Pauses as Oil Surges and Tesla Stumbles

  U.S. stocks stalled on Thursday as investors weighed a sharp rise in oil prices against a wave of fresh corporate earnings. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 hovered near the flat line, while the Nasdaq 100 also showed little movement. Energy markets took center stage after oil futures jumped more than 5% following new U.S. sanctions on Russian producers, pushing Brent crude toward $66 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate closer to $62. The surge added pressure to inflation concerns already weighing on Wall Street. On the corporate front, Tesla shares slipped over 3% in premarket trading after the electric vehicle maker posted mixed third-quarter results, disappointing investors and kicking off the “Magnificent Seven” earnings cycle. IBM stock also dropped about 7% , as stronger-than-expected profits were overshadowed by weaker software revenue. Traders are now awaiting results from American Airlines and T-Mobile , with Intel set to ...

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Stock Market Reacts to Surprising Inflation Data


In a surprising turn of events, the stock market experienced a significant downturn as recent inflation data came in unexpectedly high. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.4% over the previous month and 3.5% over the prior year in March, surpassing the anticipated figures. This acceleration from February’s 3.2% annual gain in prices has dampened hopes for imminent interest rate cuts.

As a result, major stock indices fell sharply. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by approximately 1.1%, while the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite saw declines of nearly 1% and 0.9%, respectively. Concurrently, bond yields soared, with the 10-year Treasury yield reaching its highest level since November at nearly 4.57%.

This market reaction reflects investors’ recalibrated expectations, with many now betting on the Federal Reserve maintaining current rate levels through June and possibly July, pushing the likelihood of an initial rate cut to September. The latest Federal Reserve policy meeting minutes revealed that officials are open to lowering interest rates “at some point,” but the timing remains uncertain.

Amidst these developments, crude oil futures rebounded following reports of potential conflict escalation in the Middle East, which could further impact market dynamics. The situation remains fluid, with investors closely monitoring the interplay between inflation trends and central bank policies.




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