S&P 500 climbs to a new record close, shrugging off inflation fears
The S&P 500 rose to an all-time high on Thursday as investors shrugged off a key inflation report that showed a bigger-than-expected increase in price pressures.
The broad equity benchmark climbed nearly 0.5% to a record closing high of 4,239.18. The S&P 500 also hit an intraday record of 4,249.74, overtaking its May 7 high after the market traded sideways for a month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 19.10 points, or less than 0.1%, to 34,466.24, while the Nasdaq Composite gained about 0.8% to 14,020.33.
Consumer prices for May accelerated at their fastest pace since the summer of 2008 amid the economic recovery from the pandemic-triggered recession, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The consumer price index, which represents a basket including food, energy, groceries and prices across a spectrum of goods, rose 5% from a year ago. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting a gain of 4.7%.
Fears of spiking inflation have weighed on the stock market in the last month, with investors worried the jump in prices will raise costs for companies, spark a move higher in interest rates and cause the Federal Reserve to remove its easy money policies.
Many economists also said the surge in used car costs for the month could have skewed the inflation reading. Used car and truck prices jumped more than 7%, accounting for one-third of the total increase for the month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The jump in used car prices likely reflects a temporary phenomenon related to the pandemic and auto supply.
A separate report released Thursday showed that jobless claims for the week ended June 5 came in at 376,000, versus a Dow Jones estimate of 370,000. The total still marked the lowest of the pandemic era.
Reference: CNBC
Thai
Eng