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Market Jitters Return as Cooler CPI Surprises Wall Street

A softer‑than‑expected U.S. Consumer Price Index reading sent a ripple through financial markets today, creating an unusual dynamic: good news on inflation, but renewed pressure on major stock indexes. A Cooling CPI, but a Nervous Market The latest CPI report showed inflation easing more than economists anticipated. Under normal circumstances, that would be a welcome sign—suggesting the Federal Reserve may have more room to consider rate cuts later in the year. But markets don’t always behave logically in the moment. Today, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq all slipped as investors reassessed what the data means for corporate earnings, interest‑rate expectations, and the broader economic outlook. Why Stocks Reacted This Way Several factors contributed to the pullback: Profit‑taking after recent market highs Concerns that cooling inflation reflects slowing demand Uncertainty about the Fed’s next move , even with softer price pressures Sector rotation ...
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Wall Street Stumbles Toward Longest Weekly Losing Streak Since September


Wall Street is stumbling to close out its latest losing week. U.S. stocks fell after oil prices briefly surged overnight on worries about fighting in the Middle East. The S&P 500 was 0.7% lower in afternoon trading and on track for its third straight losing week. That would be its longest such streak since September, before it broke out into a record-setting romp. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 125 points, or 0.3%, as of 12:46 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was down 1.6%.

In the oil market, a barrel of Brent crude was back to $87.20, up 0.1%, after briefly leaping above $90 overnight. Iranian troops fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site during an apparent Israeli drone attack, raising worries in the market. But crude prices pared their big gains as traders questioned how Iran would respond.

On Wall Street, Netflix sank 8.9% despite reporting stronger profits for the latest quarter than expected. Analysts called it a mostly solid performance, but the streaming giant disappointed some investors by saying it will stop giving updates on its subscriber numbers every three months, beginning next year. Procter & Gamble also weighed on the market after the consumer-products giant reported lower revenue for its latest quarter than analysts expected. Sales trends for its baby care products weakened following hikes to their prices and sank for its super-premium SK-II skincare brand, diluting gains made elsewhere. The company behind Pampers, Oral-B, and other brands reported stronger profit for its fiscal third quarter than analysts expected and raised its forecast for earnings in the fiscal year. But it did not raise its forecast for sales. Its stock slipped 0.4%.

Helping to limit the market’s losses was American Express, which rose 5.1%. It reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Fifth Third Bancorp rose 6.1% after it likewise topped expectations.

The pressure is even higher than usual on companies to meet forecasts for their quarterly results. That’s because the other lever that helps set stock prices, interest rates, looks unlikely to offer much help in the near term. Top Fed officials said recently that they could hold interest rates at their high level for a while. That’s a letdown for traders after the Fed had signaled earlier that three cuts to interest rates could be possible this year. Lower rates would juice the economy and financial markets, and they earlier appeared to be on the horizon after inflation cooled sharply last year.


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