{"id":4043,"date":"2026-03-18T15:15:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/?p=4043"},"modified":"2026-03-18T15:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:15:32","slug":"us-stocks-fall-as-ppi-inflation-jumps-dow-jones-down-169-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/?p=4043","title":{"rendered":"US stocks fall as PPI inflation jumps, Dow Jones down 169 points"},"content":{"rendered":"
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US stock opened lower on Wednesday after hotter-than-expected inflation data and rising oil prices dampened investor sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve\u2019s policy decision.<\/p>\n

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 169 points, or 0.36%, while S&P 500 fell 0.31% and Nasdaq 100 declined roughly 0.26%. <\/p>\n

The cautious tone followed a stronger-than-expected reading on wholesale inflation, which raised concerns that interest rates could remain higher for longer.<\/p>\n

Inflation surprise dims rate cut expectations<\/h2>\n

Data from the Labor Department showed the Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 0.7% in February, well above expectations of a 0.3% increase. <\/p>\n

On an annual basis, producer prices climbed 3.4%, exceeding forecasts of 2.9%.<\/p>\n

The report reinforced concerns that inflation pressures are persisting, particularly as geopolitical tensions drive up energy and shipping costs.<\/p>\n

Market expectations for monetary easing have shifted notably. <\/p>\n

Traders now see the Federal Reserve cutting rates by at least 25 basis points only by April 2027, compared with expectations for a move as early as December 2026 before the data release.<\/p>\n

Oil prices and geopolitical tensions add pressure<\/h2>\n

Oil prices continued to climb, adding to inflation concerns and market volatility.<\/p>\n

West Texas Intermediate crude rose more than 2% to around $97.68 per barrel, while Brent crude advanced more than 4% to $108.3 per barrel.<\/p>\n

Prices moved higher after reports of attacks on Iranian energy facilities and ongoing disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz. <\/p>\n

Earlier in the session, crude had eased following the resumption of exports from Iraq\u2019s Kirkuk fields, but gains resumed as geopolitical risks intensified.<\/p>\n

The Middle East conflict has heightened fears of supply disruptions, contributing to broader concerns about stagflation and complicating the outlook for central banks.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s recent comments that the United States does not need NATO assistance to secure shipping routes have also added to uncertainty around global energy flows.<\/p>\n

Fed decision and corporate movers in focus<\/h2>\n

Investors are now focused on the Federal Reserve\u2019s policy decision, with markets widely expecting the central bank to keep rates unchanged. A<\/p>\n

ttention will center on Chair Jerome Powell\u2019s remarks for clues on how policymakers are assessing inflation risks tied to higher energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty.<\/p>\n

Equity markets have shown resilience in recent sessions, supported by gains in technology stocks and strong corporate fundamentals.<\/p>\n

Among individual stocks, Micron Technology rose 0.29% ahead of its earnings release, while SanDisk gained 1.6%. <\/p>\n

Drone software company Swarmer extended its rally, rising 40% a day after its Nasdaq debut.<\/a><\/p>\n

On the downside, travel stocks such as Delta, American Airlines and Carnival slipped, while Lululemon gained 2% even after issuing weaker-than-expected guidance. <\/p>\n

Macy\u2019s rose 5.6% after signaling that tariff-related pressures could ease later in the year.<\/p>\n

With volatility elevated and key policy signals pending, markets remain cautious as investors navigate a complex mix of inflation risks, geopolitical tensions and shifting rate expectations.<\/p>\n

The post US stocks fall as PPI inflation jumps, Dow Jones down 169 points<\/a> appeared first on Invezz<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US stock opened lower on Wednesday after hotter-than-expected inflation data and rising oil prices dampened investor sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve\u2019s policy decision.Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 169 points, or 0.36%, while S&P 500 fell 0.31% and Nasdaq 100 declined roughly 0.26%. The cautious tone followed a stronger-than-expected reading on wholesale inflation, which…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stock"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}