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United States stocks hit record highs, dollar pares losses after CPI, Fed choice

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq scored record closing highs for the third successive session on Wednesday and U.S. Treasury yields pared earlier declines as investors weighed a marketpleasing inflation report against lowered interest rate cut expectations.

The dollar shed some weak point after the U.S. Federal Reserve concluded its two-day policy conference by leaving interest rates unchanged, and released its accompanying policy declaration and Summary of Economic Projections (SEP).

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ended dramatically higher, while the blue-chip Dow turned a little negative toward completion of the session.

The more-hawkish-than-expected SEP seemed to oppose the Labor Department's carefully watched CPI report launched earlier in the day, which showed core prices growing at their slowest yearly pace in over 3 years.

It's a little frustrating to see this continued hawkishness, specifically on the very same day where you get one of the softest inflation reports in most likely a number of years, said Ross Mayfield, financial investment method expert at Baird in Louisville, Kentucky. The market is going to struggle a bit with how hawkish the Fed is in light of all of not only this morning's data, however last week's as well.

In his interview following the decision, Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged that inflation has reduced significantly but stays too expensive and rate-cut expectations have been pressed out due to slower-than-expected progress in bringing cost development to the central bank's 2% goal.

I think the main takeaway will be that the marketplace was most likely expecting the Fed to shift the dot plot from three cuts to 2 cuts, Mayfield included. Instead it was shifted from three cuts to one cut, which on margin is a hawkish surprise.

Still, monetary markets are pricing in a 61.5% probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut in September, up from 46.8% on Tuesday, according to CME's FedWatch tool.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 35.21 points, or 0.09%, to 38,712.21, the S&P 500 got 45.71 points, or 0.85%, to 5,421.03 and the Nasdaq Composite added 264.89 points, or 1.53%, to 17,608.44.

European shares closed dramatically greater after the CPI report and prior to the Fed's rate choice.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index increased 1.08% and MSCI's gauge of stocks around the world acquired 0.86%.

Emerging-market stocks rose 0.39%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed 0.5%. higher, while Japan's Nikkei lost 0.66%.

U.S. Treasury yields moved after the data, however retraced a bit. after the SEP release.

U.S. benchmark 10-year Treasury notes last rose. 19/32 in rate to yield 4.3277%, from 4.402% late on Tuesday.

The 30-year bond last increased 27/32 in price to. yield 4.4846%, from 4.535% late on Tuesday.

The dollar pared its losses against a basket of world. currencies after the reserve bank cut its 2024 rate-cut. expectations.

The dollar index fell 0.46%, with the euro up. 0.61% to $1.0804.

The Japanese yen enhanced 0.14% versus the greenback at. 156.88 per dollar, while Sterling was last trading at. $ 1.2793, up 0.42% on the day.

Oil costs settled higher, supported by simmering tensions. in the Middle East, and by forecasts that global inventories. will fall in the latter half of the year.

U.S. crude rose 0.77% to settle at $78.50 per. barrel, while Brent settled at $82.60, up 0.83% on the. day.

Gold picked up speed but lost some shine in the wake of the. Fed's updated economic forecasts.

Area gold included 0.2% to $2,320.76 an ounce.

(source: Reuters)