Latest News

Stocks inch up as traders assess rate outlook; dollar dips vs yen

Worldwide stock indexes edged greater while Treasury yields slipped on Wednesday as investors attempted to examine the timing of possible rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, while the dollar relieved off of a three-month peak versus the yen.

Japan's leading currency authorities alerted on Wednesday against what they described as speculative and quick yen moves overnight.

Nvidia, whose shares were last up 1.7% and helped to support

the S&P 500 and Nasdaq

, topped Alphabet's market value to become the third-most important U.S. company.

Investors digested comments from Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, who stated the Fed's path back to its 2%. inflation target rate would still be on track even if cost. increases run a bit hotter-than-expected over the next couple of. months, and the reserve bank must watch out for waiting too long. before it cuts interest rates.

Market expectations for a cut by the Fed in June of at. least 25 basis points stand at 78.5%, according to CME's. FedWatch Tool, while expectations for a cut in May have actually fallen. to 38.5%, down from 63.7% a week back.

The most recent shift in rate expectations followed an. upside surprise in U.S. inflation on Tuesday that showed the. customer rate index (CPI) rose 3.1% on a yearly basis, above. forecasts for a 2.9% boost.

What's most perplexing is the pick-up in inflation. nearly across the board, and certainly in the service side,. undoubtedly the most popular part of the economy, said Paul Nolte,. senior wealth consultant and market strategist for Murphy && .

Sylvest. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 1.08 points. to 38,273.36, the S&P 500 got 14.19 points, or 0.29%,. to 4,967.38 and the Nasdaq Composite got 58.00. points, or 0.37%, to 15,713.60.

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe. rose 1.92 points, or 0.26%, to 741.50, and the STOXX 600. index increased 0.47%.

Japan's Nikkei

, which struck its highest in 34 years on Tuesday, fell. 0.7%.

The

yield

on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes fell 2.7 basis. indicate 4.289%, from 4.316% late on Tuesday. Yields had actually surged. on Tuesday following the CPI information.

The dollar index fell 0.06% at 104.80, with the. euro up 0.09% at 1.0719. Against the Japanese yen,. the dollar damaged 0.11% at 150.62. The dollar was at a. three-month peak against the yen on Tuesday.

The 150 level has been seen in the past as a capacity. catalyst for intervention by Japanese monetary authorities. It. was simply past this level that they stepped in to fortify the. yen in late 2022.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin acquired 4.71% at. $ 51,872.80. Ethereum increased 4.67% at $2756.2.

Oil futures edged down as higher U.S.

unrefined stocks

weighed on costs. U.S. crude lost 0.08% to $77.82 a. barrel and Brent increased to $82.8 per barrel on the day.

Area gold lost 0.11% to $1,989.89 an ounce.

(source: Reuters)