Dow Jones| Nasdaq | US Stock Market Today | Live: Dow, S&P 500 dip while Nasdaq rises on modest inflation increase

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Business News›Markets›US Stocks›Wall St Guide›Dow Jones| Nasdaq | US Stock Market Today | Live: Dow, S&P 500 dip while Nasdaq rises on modest inflation increase LIVE BLOG Synopsis Dow Jones Today | US Stock Market Live: Nasdaq climbed on Wednesday and the S&P 500 dipped, with both indexes notching their second straight quarterly gains, as a softer-than-anticipated inflation reading cooled expectations that Federal Reserve policy makers would hike rates in October. The S&P 500 lost 18.13 points, or 0.23%, to end at 7,652.71 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 66.46 points, or 0.25%, to 26,864.00. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 431.84 points, or 0.84%, to 50,918.08. 1 New Update The S&P 500 lost 18.13 points, or 0.23%, to end at 7,652.71 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 66.46 points, or 0.25%, to 26,864.00. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 431.84 points, or 0.84%, to 50,918.08. (Read) US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he has asked the attorney general to study a report by the Federal Reserve watchdog and "make a determination as to what to do" about the Federal Reserve complex. Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on Wednesday said she is committed to bringing inflation down without harming the labor market in remarks that only briefly touched on monetary policy and did not address the latest inflation data. "Regardless of whether you are in a rural or urban area, the fact remains that inflation has been too high for too long," Cook said in remarks prepared for delivery at a Richmond Fed conference on investing in rural America, held in Asheville, North Carolina. "I am committed to returning inflation to our objective while preserving the strength in the labor market." A US judge entered an order on Wednesday that allows Paramount to close its acquisition of Warner Bros., ending a months-long holdup for the $110 billion transaction. US District Court Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved a settlement between the companies and a California-led group of states that had alleged the deal would harm competition in film and television. Walgreens-owner Sycamore Partners is close to a deal to sell British pharmacy chain Boots for about $9 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The US Senate on Wednesday blocked legislation requiring state utility regulators to consider whether large electricity users, including data centers, should bear the incremental costs of power infrastructure built to serve them and thus ease the burden on households. Senators voted 57-43 to advance the Ratepayer Protection Act, with only four Democrats voting for it. The measure needed at least 60 affirmative votes to clear a Senate procedural hurdle. Gold surrendered earlier gains and eased on Wednesday, heading for a monthly decline, as higher energy prices eclipsed support from softer-than-expected U.S. inflation data that reduced expectations for an immediate Federal Reserve rate hike. Spot gold was down 0.7% at $4,152.86 per ounce as of 1:40 p.m. ET (1740 GMT). Prices briefly rose after US inflation data came in cooler than anticipated. Gold is down 6.6% in September so far. A federal judge in Manhattan blocked New York state from enforcing a first-of-its-kind law prohibiting landlords and real estate industry professionals from using algorithmic pricing tools to set, and potentially inflate, residential rents. US District Judge Valerie Caproni issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday in favor of RealPage, a software provider owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, which said the law violated its First Amendment free speech rights by restricting use of its software's pricing recommendations. ElevenLabs said on Wednesday it had completed a $300 million employee tender offer valuing the AI voice generation startup at $22 billion, twice the valuation it secured in its February funding round. The tender was led by Wellington and T. Rowe Price, with participation from existing backers such as Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed, and new investors including EQT and Goldman Sachs. The US Senate on Wednesday blocked legislation placing new restrictions on stock trading by members of Congress, as Democrats refused to provide enough votes to advance the measure toward passage and voting continued. The Federal Reserve's Inspector General on Wednesday said it found no grounds for a criminal referral or administrative misconduct tied to cost overruns in a US central bank renovation project that had drawn scorn from President Donald Trump and an investigation of former Fed chief Jerome Powell. The Fed watchdog's report, however, did highlight extensive problems with project oversight that contributed to a roughly $1 billion cost overrun for the renovation of the central bank's two historic buildings on the National Mall in Washington. Shares of data center infrastructure firm Accelevation opened 2.5% below their initial public offering price on Wednesday, giving the company a valuation of $3.92 billion in its Nasdaq debut. Consumer prices rose 3.4% in August compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, below the 3.7% economist expectations. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3%, up from 0.1% in July, a sign prices that are still running hot. Excluding the volatile energy and food categories, inflation also came in lower than expected, rising 3% in August from a year ago. And from July to August, core prices rose just 0.2%, up from 0.1% the previous month. Many economists feared core prices would rise more quickly month-to-month. US crude oil output rose in July, while demand for crude oil and petroleum products declined, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its Petroleum Supply Monthly (PSM) report on Wednesday. Crude output climbed to 13.95 million barrels per day (bpd) in July, up from 13.84 million bpd in June. The monthly record high was 14.00 million bpd in October 2025. US demand for crude oil and petroleum products fell to 20.61 million bpd in July, down from 20.74 million bpd in June. That compares with a monthly record high of 21.67 million bpd in August 2005, EIA said. Meanwhile, US gross natural gas production rose to a monthly record high of 137.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in July, up from 135.5 bcfd in June, the EIA said in its Natural Gas Monthly report. The US securities regulator proposed new regulations on Wednesday aimed at expanding access to private assets that have traditionally been reserved for professionals, potentially offering higher returns but also exposing everyday Americans to more risk. The Securities and Exchange Commission's proposals are part of a broader push by the Trump administration to "democratize" private assets, such as private equity, private credit, real estate and venture capital that can potentially result in higher returns than traditional stock and bond portfolios. This included enabling potentially hundreds of thousands of certified professionals, such as accountants, financial analysts and planners and licensed research analysts to access private investments as so-called accredited investors, a status that currently requires wealth and income tests or holding accredited professions such as being a broker-dealer. Five of the 11 S&P 500 sectors were trading higher, with information technology and energy leading gains. Real estate and financials were the laggards. Most megacap and growth stocks ticked higher, with Amazon.com and Apple up around 2% each, while Alphabet advanced 3%. Software stocks were some of the best performers, with Palo Alto Networks up 3.7%, Microsoft gaining 1.9% and Intuit adding 2.6%. US crude stocks rose while gasoline and distillate inventories fell last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Crude inventories rose by 922,000 barrels to 427.3 million barrels in the week ended September 25, the EIA said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 264,000-barrel draw. Yields were lower on 2-year and 10-year US Treasuries on Wednesday after expectations decreased for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in October after data showed that US inflation increased less than expected in August. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes fell 1.45 basis points to 5.241%, after briefly rising to 5.2574%. The 30-year bond yield rose 1.06 basis points to 5.6046% and was on track to advance for its seventh day in a row. Caterpillar said on Wednesday it plans to invest about $1 billion in North Carolina to expand manufacturing capacity for its compact equipment business amid rising customer demand. The dollar retreated against major currencies on Wednesday following data showing a smaller-than-expected increase in US inflation, which reduced market bets on an interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve. The dollar also weakened 0.31% to 156.79 yen and was down 0.05% versus the Swiss franc. Anthropic is heading towards its much-awaited initial public offering, with leaked IPO prospectus papers revealing key details such as ballooning net losses, surging revenue, AI models posing existential risks to humanity and more. (Read) The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 74.9 points, or 0.15%, at the open to 51,424.84. The S&P 500 rose 18.1 points, or 0.24%, at the open to 7,688.99, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 95.3 points, or 0.36%, to 26,892.796 at the opening bell. (Read) The US trade deficit in goods widened sharply in August amid a surge in imports, suggesting that trade could remain a drag economic growth in the third quarter. The goods trade shortfall increased 11.5% to $132.6 billion last month, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the goods deficit at $115.0 billion. The US economy grew at a solid 2.2% pace from April through June as consumer spending and business investment came in strong. Growth in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — decelerated from a 2.5% pace from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The second-quarter growth number improved on the department’s previous estimate of 1.5%. Inflation slowed a bit last month as Americans ramped up their spending, though price gains remained elevated and are a challenge for many voters as the midterm elections approach. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that consumer prices rose 3.4% in August compared with a year earlier, below the 3.7% economists had forecast. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3%, up from 0.1% in July, a sign prices are still running hot. Boeing shares climbed 2.1% after the Pentagon selected the plane maker to develop the US Navy’s next-generation stealth fighter under a $20 billion contract. Rival bidder Northrop Grumman fell 3.5%. Warnings from leading AI executives about the technology’s potential existential risks have unsettled the AI trade that powered Wall Street to record highs this year. Meta Platforms remains September’s standout, with shares on track to gain nearly 30% on the popularity of its Muse AI agent, while Micron Technology’s results after the bell will provide the sector’s next major test. On Wednesday, the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond stood at 5.236%, close to its highest since June 2007 hit in the previous session. Crude oil prices rose on the day, with the December contract for Brent crude futures moving higher. Despite September’s weakness, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq remained on track for a second consecutive quarterly gain based on their latest close. The Dow, however, was headed for a quarterly decline and its first monthly loss since March. US stock index futures fell in choppy trading on Wednesday, as heavyweight technology stocks eased ahead of a key inflation report and GDP data that could help shape market expectations for the Federal Reserve's rate path.At 07:20 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 104 points, or 0.2%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 11.5 points, or 0.15%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 97.75 points, or 0.32%.