U.S. stock futures rose on Wednesday after the latest data on inflation showed consumer price inflation rose less than expected in May, hours before the Federal Reserve’s scheduled afternoon meeting is due to provide the latest signal on interest rate movements.
S&P 500 futures (ES=F) rose 0.7%, hitting their 27th record high this year. Futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) rose nearly 0.9%, signaling a rise for the index after the record. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) rose 0.6%.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was flat from the previous month and rose 3.3% from a year earlier in May, slowing from April’s 0.3% increase from the previous month and 3.4% increase from a year earlier. Both measures beat economists’ expectations. On a “core” basis, which excludes volatile costs such as food and gasoline, prices rose 0.2% from the previous month and 3.4% from a year earlier in May, lower than the April data. Both measures beat economists’ expectations.
read more: How does the labor market affect inflation?
Meanwhile, with the Fed’s decision all but certain and the central bank expected to keep interest rates at their current 23-year high, investors will be watching more closely for the release of the latest economic projections on the Fed’s “dot plot,” specifically how many rate cuts it expects for the rest of the year.
The last we heard was in March, when the number was 3. Policymakers will almost certainly cut that number significantly, given the aforementioned robust inflation early this year. These projections, along with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s comments at his press conference, may be the final market-moving events of a very busy day.
Among corporate stocks, Apple (AAPL) shares fell after soaring to an all-time high on Tuesday. The stock was down 0.2% in premarket trading.
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