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Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as Easing Inflation Lifts Fed Policy Pause Bets While No End in Sight for Iran War

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(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)

US equity indexes traded mixed as a drop in July's inflation rate to a four-month low increased the odds of another Federal Reserve policy pause while Iran's top military appointments signaled preparations for an offensive in a prolonged war.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4% to 26,546.1 and the S&P 500 climbed 0.2% to 7,742.5 after midday Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was steady at 53,824.6. Consumer discretionary and communication services led decliners.

Super Micro Computer's (SMCI) shares surged past 18%, the top gainer on the S&P 500, after the company released an upbeat fiscal 2027 revenue outlook.

CoreWeave (CRWV) reported a Q2 beat and raised guidance, with inference demand driving upside despite higher near-term capital expenditures, Oppenheimer said in a note Wednesday. Its shares soared 19%, one of the top performers on the Nasdaq.

Sandisk (SNDK) and Kioxia said Wednesday they unveiled a new 9th-generation, high-performance flash memory technology designed to support the growing storage demands of AI infrastructure. Shares of Sandisk jumped 8%, one of the biggest gainers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.

The consumer price index rose 3.4% in July from a year earlier, decelerating from 3.5% in June and marking the slowest pace of growth since March, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed. The annual print matched the average forecast in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy items, eased to 2.5%, also as expected, from June's 2.6%.

On a month-on-month basis, consumer prices rose 0.1% in July following a 0.4% drop the month prior. Core prices rose 0.2% after holding steady in June. Both readings were in line with market projections.

"Despite the rebound in monthly measures, underlying inflation trends continue to move in the right direction," Thomas Feltmate, senior economist at TD Economics, said in a report. "At 3.4%, headline CPI has put further distance from its four-year high reached in May, while the annual change on core inflation fell back to its pre-Iran conflict rate of growth."

The probability of the Federal Reserve extending its policy pause to the sixth meeting in September jumped to 60% on Wednesday, up from 52% a day ago and 46% a week earlier, according to the Fedwatch tool.

US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year yield down 1.4 basis points to 4.67% and the two-year lower by 3.2 basis points to 4.19%.

Gold futures rose 0.6% to $4,468.20, and silver futures jumped 1.1% to $65.68.

Meanwhile, Iran could "prolong" its war with the US until President Donald Trump leaves office, CNN reported, citing a top adviser to the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

This comes as Tehran reorganized its military to be more aggressive abroad, Bloomberg reported. A raft of top military appointments by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei marks a shift to an "offensive doctrine," Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who advises the force's new commander, told state TV late Tuesday, according to the news agency.

President Donald Trump has claimed the US still has control over the strait while Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Middle East oil exports rose above pre-war levels on Sunday, CNN reported

The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract shed 0.4% to $82.86 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent was 0.5% lower at $88.46 per barrel.

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Update: US Equity Indexes Decline as Growth Sectors Hit Amid Gains in Crude Oil Ahead of July's Consumer Price Inflation Data

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data and geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes fell Tuesday amid declines in growth sectors as higher crude oil prices and fading hopes of a quick reopening of the Strait of Hormuz increased focus on July's consumer price inflation data.The Nasdaq Composite retreated 0.6% to 26,445.45, the S&P 500 slid 0.3% to 7,728.20, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3% to 53,791.85. Communication services, consumer discretionary and technology were among the steepest decliners. Energy led the gainers.AppLovin's (APP) 30% long-term annual revenue growth target lacks sufficient evidence, with uncertainty rising around the sustainability of its self-learning growth, BofA Securities said in a note. Shares dropped 6%, the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.SK Hynix (SKHY) plans to resume construction at its second NAND flash facility in Dalian, China, to boost output by about 50%, Seoul Economic Daily reported. Shares jumped 4.7%, the top performer among stocks with market capitalization of more than $200 billion each, according to data compiled by Finviz. The worst performers in this category were SpaceX (SPCX), down 3.9%, followed by Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Dell Technologies (DELL).Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told China's ambassador the Strait of Hormuz "will not be opened until the United States changes its behavior and accepts Iran's conditions," Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, said, citing Iran's Tasnim news agency. "America must end the war, pay Iran's frozen assets, the war must end throughout the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza," Reuters cited Rezaee as saying in a report from Tasnim.A Saudi-owned commercial vessel was reportedly struck by a missile while transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, CNN reported, citing Marisks, a marine intelligence group. An incident involving a container ship and an unknown military force in the Gulf of Oman has been reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, the news report added.Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil climbed 1.7% to $83.50 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent advanced 1.5% to $89.17 per barrel, fueling concern that higher energy prices will make it challenging for the Federal Reserve to extend its five-meetings-long pause.Speaking to inflationary concerns ahead of consumer prices due Wednesday, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack noted on Monday that price pressures are rising, according to a Stifel note. Hammack, one of the three dissenters who opposed the July policy hold, said more than one rate increase may be needed to ease inflation back to the Fed's 2% target.The pace of US existing home sales fell by 1.7% to a 4.06 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in July from 4.13 million in June, compared with a larger expected decrease to a 4.05 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg, data from the National Association of Realtors released Tuesday showed.The National Federation of Independent Business's monthly Small Business Optimism Index rose to 99.8 in July from 97.4 in June.Redbook US same-store sales jumped 8.3% from a year earlier in the week ended Aug. 8 after an 8.7% surge in the previous week.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$APP$DELL$GOOG$GOOGL$SKHY$SPCX
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Update: US Equity Indexes Fall as Communication Services Leads Sectors Lower, Crude Oil Up Amid Hormuz Reopening Concerns

(Updates with index/price moves and geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes slipped amid a decline in growth sectors, while crude oil extended gains as investors weighed geopolitical developments in the Middle East to gauge the timing for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5% to 26,476, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 7,738.5 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1% lower at 53,907.9.Communication services, consumer discretionary and technology led decliners, while energy topped the gainers.SK hynix (SKHY) plans to resume construction at its second NAND flash facility in Dalian, China, to boost local output by about 50%, Seoul Economic Daily reported, citing semiconductor industry sources. Its shares jumped 3.2%, the top performer among stocks with market capitalization of more than $200 billion each, according to data compiled by Finviz.AppLovin's (APP) 30% long-term annual revenue growth target lacks sufficient evidence, with uncertainty rising around the sustainability of its self-learning growth, BofA Securities said Tuesday in a report. Shares dropped 5.2%, the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.US and Iran are "close to some sort of arrangement" over the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan's defense minister was cited as saying in a Bloomberg report. Majed al-Ansari, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said negotiations between Oman and Iran on the future of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have reached an advanced stage, Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, reported. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is heading to Tehran to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Bloomberg cited Iran's semi-official Fars agency.A Saudi-owned commercial vessel was reportedly struck by a missile while transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, shipping sources and Yemeni officials told marine intelligence group Marisks, according to CNN. An incident involving a container ship and an unknown military force in the Gulf of Oman has been reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations, CNN reported.Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told China's ambassador that the Strait of Hormuz "will not be opened until the United States changes its behavior and accepts Iran's conditions," Al Jazeera cited Iran's Tasnim news agency.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract climbed 1.39% to $83.27 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent advanced 1.1% to $88.69 per barrel, extending gains this week.US Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year yield down 1.6 basis points to 4.68% and the two-year lower by 1.5 basis points to 4.22%, giving up all gains before the US equity market opened for regular trading on Tuesday.Gold futures rose 0.6% to $4,444.01, while silver futures slipped 0.3% to $65.07.In economic news, the pace of US existing home sales fell by 1.7% to a 4.06 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in July from 4.13 million in June, compared with a larger expected decrease to a 4.05 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg, data from the National Association of Realtors released Tuesday showed.The National Federation of Independent Business's monthly Small Business Optimism Index rose to 99.8 in July from 97.4 in June but was below the 100.3 reported a year earlier.Redbook US same-store sales jumped 8.3% from a year earlier in the week ended Aug. 8 after an 8.7% surge in the previous week.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$APP$SKHY
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Exchange-Traded Funds Mixed, US Equities Fall After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded fund IWM rose and IVV edged lower. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) shed 0.4%.US equity indexes slipped with government bond yields while crude oil extended gains as investors weighed geopolitical developments in the Middle East.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each added about 1%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) fell 0.2%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also declined.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) added 0.9%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) rose 0.5%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) rose 0.4%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) advanced 1.1%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), declined 1.1%.CommoditiesCrude oil rose 1%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 0.9%. Natural gas shed 1.5%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was down 1.1%.Gold on Comex rose 0.5%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) shed 0.2%. Silver was down 0.4%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) lost 1.2%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) was down 0.5%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) fell 0.3%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) eased 0.3%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was down 0.3%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) lost 0.6%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) fell 0.7%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) dipped 0.4%, iShares US Healthcare (IYH) lost 0.4%, and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) was down 0.3%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 0.2%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) added 0.7%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also higher.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell 0.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) lost 0.8%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was down 0.9%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) dipped 1.7%.

Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH