Yahoo Finance's Josh Lipton takes a look at the top stories for investors to watch on Friday, May 15, including Cerebras' (CBRS) second trading day, day two of President Trump's summit in China with President Xi, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's last day in office.
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We got a hot April Consumer Price Index (CPI) number, driven in a big way by energy costs, but even core CPI was surprisingly high, driven by a jump in shelter costs for the first time in a while. The April Producer Price Index (PPI) was even further above estimates. On May 12th, the ...
Higher inflation may not be as short-term as the president thinks, based on what history tells us.
The central bank that Wall Street has become accustomed to may be on the verge of significant change.
Oil prices moved slightly lower on Wednesday, but markets were buoyed to new heights by the strength of the tech sector. Plus, the new Federal Reserve chair cleared his final confirmation hurdle this afternoon, which likely alleviated some lingering uncertainty at the central bank, and among investors. Incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 54-45 on Wednesday afternoon, becoming the 17th person to take on the job.

<body><p>STORY: The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq gained ground on Wednesday with a boost from artificial intelligence-related tech shares.</p><p>The Dow actually fell slightly while the S&P gained about six-tenths of one percent and the Nasdaq added double that with the two indexes notching record closing highs.</p><p>The markets looked past data from the Labor Department showing producer prices jumped by 1.4% last month, the largest monthly increase in four years.</p><p>Tom Hainlin, national investment strategist with U.S. Bank Asset Management says he isn’t sure if these numbers will persist and what impact they will have on profits.</p><p>“Obviously, manufacturers and other importers are dealing with high prices due to tariffs and also due to high energy prices. I think the question is, this a temporary bump in producer prices or is it something that will ultimately eat into their profit margins? But we've seen strong investment in productivity tools . And we've seen profit margins remain pretty sturdy in here, which is driving corporate profits. But if this is a one-time blip, this can get managed through the corporate profit cycle.”</p><p>The recent inflation data is dousing any remaining hopes for a near-term rate cut from the Federal Reserve. </p><p>In fact, Boston Fed President Susan Collins said on Wednesday that a rate hike could be in the cards if inflation pressures fail to subside.</p><p>Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump's nominee to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell, was confirmed by the Senate in a vote along party lines.</p><p>:: Ford</p><p>Stocks on the move included Ford which surged 13% following a Morgan Stanley report highlighting the strength of the company’s energy storage business. </p><p>And Johnson & Johnson climbed nearly 3% after brokerage Leerink Partners upgraded shares to "outperform" from "market perform."</p></body>
A rebound for technology stocks led Wall Street to records, even though the majority of U.S. stocks fell following another discouraging update on inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.2% to its own record. Nvidia and other tech stocks led the way, a day after stumbling in an industrywide swoon.
Wall Street was split on Wednesday, with stocks charging higher while Treasuries sold off following another poor auction that saw the 30-year Treasury yield reach 5%. The Dow fell 0.1%. Stocks gained despite a high inflation reading: Wholesale energy prices climbed 7.8% in April from March.
May 13 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 was subdued at the open on Wednesday, as hotter-than-anticipated producer prices reinforced bets that the Federal Reserve would keep monetary policy restrictive all
Stocks struggled to find direction after wholesale prices surged more than expected in April. The S&P 500 was flat, while the Dow fell 210 points, or 0.4%. The Nasdaq gained 0.2% The inflation report for April this morning revealed that the cost of producing goods has been higher than expected.
U. S. stock futures pointed to a mixed open on Wednesday, with investors balancing renewed strength in technology shares against fresh inflation data that reinforced concerns about interest rates and rising costs.
Pre-Market Stock Futures: Futures are trading mixed on Wednesday, after a rough day for technology stocks and the Nasdaq. The combination of the prospect of a longer struggle with Iran, and higher inflation, which soared to 3.8% annually, the highest since May 2023, while the core number, which is less food and energy, rose to ... Here Are Wednesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Advanced Micro Devices, Akamai Technologies, HEICO, Johnson & Johnson, MasTec, MercadoLibre, Sandisk, Snap
Wall Street shares were set for a mixed start on Wednesday as investors prepare to wait for news from Donald Trump’s visit to China. Stock futures pointed in different directions ahead of the opening bell, with Dow Jones futures down 114 points or 0.2% at 49,755, while S&P 500 futures...
Tech is the standout perform in a narrowing market, with oil, trade, and inflation issues brewing on the sidelines.
President Trump's Fed chair nominee could be opening a can of worms for investors.

<body><p>STORY: U.S. stocks ended mostly lower on Tuesday, but the Dow posted a modest gain, while the S&P 500 edged down slightly and the Nasdaq lost seven-tenths of a percent.</p><p>The S&P 500 and Nasdaq eased off record highs after the Labor Department's Consumer Price Index was hotter than expected, pushing the annual inflation rate to 3.8%, its highest in three years.</p><p>And that's likely where it will hover for a while, says Dean Smith, chief strategist and portfolio manager for FolioBeyond.</p><p>"So I think the markets are digesting the fact that this is real. This is our new normal now. This is where we're going to live. We're going to be living in an inflationary environment that's in the neighborhood of between 3.5 and 4%. We're going to be living with something like a 4.5% 10-year [Treasury bond yield], something like a 5% 30- year long bond for the foreseeable future. And that's going to cause some recalibration. I think that's what we're seeing in the market today."</p><p>Meanwhile, the Iran war, now in its 11th week, showed no signs of a near-term resolution. </p><p>The notion of a protracted conflict raises the probability that spiking energy prices could create more entrenched inflation. That has all but squelched hopes for an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve this year under the presumed chairmanship of Kevin Warsh, whom the U.S. Senate confirmed to the central bank board on Tuesday.</p><p>Among the session's stock moves, shares of Humana gained more than 7.5% after Bernstein hiked its price target by 36%.</p><p>:: eBay</p><p>Shares of GameStop dipped about 3.5% after eBay rejected the meme stock trailblazer's $56 billion takeover bid.</p><p>:: Hims & Hers </p><p>And shares of Hims & Hers Health tumbled about 14% after the telehealth company's pivot to branded weight-loss drugs drove up costs and led to a surprise loss in the first quarter.</p></body>
The U.S. might be facing a testy economic backdrop, with the Iran War, worries about oil rationing, and a return of inflation, but the market continues to soldier onward and upward. The market has clung onto one balloon in particular: chipmakers. From its March lows, the VanEck Semiconductor ETF ...
Focus is on the April wholesale inflation report in the wait for pdates on US-Iran talks and Trump's trip to China.
US stock futures wavered as investors digested new inflation data and awaited updates on US-Iran talks and President Trump's trip to China.
US stock futures wavered as investors digested new inflation data and awaited updates on US-Iran talks and President Trump's trip to China.
US equity indexes traded mixed on Tuesday as a hotter-than-expected inflation print amid soaring gas
Chip stocks got beat up after the latest inflation report. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was down 0.7%, the S&P 500 was down 0.2% while the Dow gained 56 points, or 0.1%. Notably, almost all major chip stocks were down, barring Nvidia.