Stock market today: S&P 500 shrugs off inflation surprise as focus shifts to Fed

Investing.com -- The S&P 500 closed higher Thursday, shrugging off a hotter-than-anticipated producer price data as focus shifted to the widely expected Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week.

By 4.00 p.m. ET (200 GMT), the benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.8%, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 1%, and the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average added 235 points, or 0.6%.

Producer prices rise above estimates

The producer price index for final demand in August increased by 0.2% in August, above estimates of 0.1%. The July was also revised down to show that PPI was unchanged, rather than inching up by 0.1%, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Meanwhile, in the 12 months to August, the figure rose by 1.7% following an uptick of 2.1% in the previous month.

While the August headline and core PPI came in slightly above expectations on a monthly basis, there soft components in the the report including both nursing care facilities and portfolio management and investment advice that filter in the Fed's preferred measure of inflation, or PCE, that point to easing price pressures, Evercore ISI said.

The Fed has been widely tipped to cut interest rates at its upcoming gathering from Sept. 17-18 in response to signs of a slowing labor market, although uncertainty surrounded whether the central bank would roll out a 25-basis point cut or a deeper 50-point drawdown. The inflation data this week has bolstered the chances that the Fed will opt for the quarter-point reduction.

Moderna slides after cutting forecasts; Boeing sidesteps union strike fears; Warner Bros. Discover, Charter reach agreement

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) stock fell more than 12% after the drugmaker cut its annual revenue forecast and its research and development (R&D) budget.

Moderna said it would cut its R&D expense by about $1.1 billion starting in 2027 in light of "recent commercial challenges," and now expects 2025 revenue of $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion.

Boeing (NYSE:BA) gained 1% even as the airplane maker could be facing a strike as soon as Friday should more than 30,000 of the planemaker's workers in the US Pacific Northwest vote to begin a work stoppage and reject a tentative labor deal.

The company had previously reached a tentative agreement for a 25% pay bump, along with a commitment to building a new plane in the Pacific Northwest, better retirement benefits and an increase to the union's input into jet quality.

However, the employees, who are represented by the International Association of Machinists District 751, are likely to reject the deal on Thursday, according to media reports. Workers are reportedly asking for bigger wage increases and other improvements to the agreement.

Warner Bros Discovery Inc (NASDAQ:WBD) and Charter Communications Inc (NASDAQ:CHTR) agreed a multi-year distribution integrating linear video and streaming services.

Alaska lifts guidance to continue recent bullish outlook on airlines; Wells falls on OCC enforcement action

Airline stocks were higher after Alaska Air Group Inc (NYSE:ALK) lifted its Q3 outlook, driven by strong summer demand. The upgraded guidance followed similar upbeat outlook from JetBlue Airways Corp (NASDAQ:JBLU) and Southwest Airlines Company (NYSE:LUV)

Wells Fargo &Company (NYSE:WFC) fell 4% after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC, flagged deficiencies in the the bank's financial crimes risk management practices. The OCC's enforcement action against the bank prohibits the bank from expanding into new high-risk products or areas without permission from the regulator.

(Scott Kanowsky, Ambar Warrick contributed to this report.)

This article first appeared in Investing.com