US markets settle deeply in red as inflation data raises interest rate worries

11 Feb 2022 Evaluate

The US markets ended deeply in red on Thursday after a key inflation report showed a faster-than-expected rise in prices and boosted the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield above a key level. A highly anticipated Labor Department report showed the annual rate of growth in consumer prices accelerated more than expected in the month of January. The report showed consumer prices in January were up by 7.5 percent compared to the same month a year ago, reflecting the fastest annual growth since February of 1982. Street had expected the annual rate of growth to reach 7.3 percent. The faster year-over-year growth came as the Labor Department said its consumer price index climbed by 0.6 percent in January, matching the upwardly revised advance seen in December. Street had expected consumer prices to rise by 0.5 percent, matching the increase originally reported for the previous month.

The report showed core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy prices, also advanced by 0.6 percent in January, matching the increase seen in December. Street had also expected core prices to rise by 0.5 percent. The annual rate of growth in core prices accelerated to 6.0 percent in January from 5.5 percent in December, showing the biggest jump since August of 1982. The data raised concerns that the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates more aggressively in an effort to fight elevated inflation. On the sectoral front, Interest rate-sensitive housing stocks moved sharply lower over the course of the session, dragging the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index down by 3.4 percent. Substantial weakness also emerged among semiconductor stocks, as reflected by the 3.2 percent nosedive by the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 526.47 points or 1.47 percent to 35,241.59, Nasdaq dropped 304.73 points or 2.1 percent to 14,185.64 and S&P 500 was down by 83.1 points or 1.81 percent to 4,504.08.

© 2026 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×