US markets end mostly lower on Wednesday

18 Feb 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly lower on Wednesday on inflation concerns. A separate report from the Labor Department showed producer prices jumped by much more than expected in the month of January. The Labor Department said its producer price index for final demand surged up by 1.3 percent in January after rising by 0.3 percent in December. Street had expected producer prices to increase by 0.4 percent. The jump in producer prices, the largest since the index began in December 2009, was partly due to higher energy prices, which skyrocketed by 5.1 percent in January after soaring by 4.9 percent in December.

In addition to the inflation concerns, traders also have been worried the upbeat data will reduce the pressure on lawmakers to pass additional stimulus. The Commerce Department released a report showing retail sales rebounded by much more than anticipated in the month of January. The Commerce Department said retail sales spiked by 5.3 percent in January after sliding by a revised 1.0 percent in December. Street had expected retail sales to jump by 1.1 percent compared to the 0.7 percent decrease originally reported for the previous month. Excluding sales by motor vehicle and parts retailers, retail sales soared by 5.9 percent in January after tumbling by a revised 1.8 percent in December.

Nasdaq fell 82 points or 0.58 percent to 13,965.5 and S&P 500 was down by 1.26 points or 0.03 percent to 3,931.33, while Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 90.27 points or 0.29 percent to 31,613.02.

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