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U.S. stock futures extended their gains on Tuesday after key inflation data were higher than expected, raising hopes of when the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.
S&P 500 (^GSPC) futures rose 0.5%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (^NDX) rose about 0.8% after two days of losses. Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) futures rose 0.2%.
Investors are digesting the announcement of the consumer price index. This is one of the most important data inputs for the Fed in determining its next policy move. The headline inflation rate met expectations with a monthly increase of 0.4% in February, following an increase of 0.3% in the previous month. However, the “core” CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.4% from the previous month and rose 3.1% annually, both higher than expected.
Changes in the CPI are seen as influential because Fed policymakers have said they want to make sure inflation is easing before they start lowering interest rates from historically high levels. Before the CPI was released, S&P 500 traders were hedging against a 0.9% move in either direction.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC-USD) continued its record rally, rising to $72,120. A surge in inflows into crypto assets has seen the major token rise nearly 70% so far this year, with bulls predicting Bitcoin could reach $350,000 this year.
On the corporate side, Oracle (ORCL) shares rose 12% in pre-market trading on signs that database giant Oracle (ORCL) is making progress in cloud computing, backed by a partnership with AI chip giant Nvidia (NVDA).
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