US open: Stocks mixed following CPI reading

(Sharecast News) - Wall Street trading got off to a mixed start on Wednesday as investors digested last month's all-important CPI reading. As of 1615 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.05% at 44,226.42, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.72% to 6,078.44 and the Nasdaq Composite came out the gate 1.44% at 19,971.62.

The Dow opened 21.41 points lower on Wednesday, extending losses recorded in the previous session.

Wednesday's primary focus was news that the cost of living in the States had picked up slightly last month as food and vehicles became dearer, although increases in shelter prices eased. According to the Department of Labor, in seasonally adjusted terms, both the headline and core Consumer Price Index rose by 0.3% month-on-month in November. Those increases were in line with the median forecast of economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

In annual terms, however, headline CPI rose from 3.2% for October to 3.3% this time around, while core CPI, on the other hand, was steady at 2.7%.

Elsewhere on the macro front, US mortgage applications rose by 5.4% in the week ended 6 December, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, up from the prior week's 2.8% increase. Applications to refinance a mortgage surged 30% week-on-week, while applications to purchase a home fell by 4%.

In the corporate space, Adobe will post its latest set of quarterly results after the close.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

Dow Jones - Risers

Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $358.29 2.71% Nike Inc. (NKE) $78.36 2.11% Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $448.46 1.16% Apple Inc. (AAPL) $250.15 0.96% Walmart Inc. (WMT) $95.35 0.84% Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $63.41 0.79% Boeing Co. (BA) $165.26 0.71% Visa Inc. (V) $314.14 0.56% Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $588.04 0.51% Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $173.11 0.48%

Dow Jones - Fallers

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $9.69 -7.05% Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $538.10 -4.79% Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $41.40 -1.85% Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $243.38 -1.72% Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $147.08 -1.44% Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $271.91 -1.39% Intel Corp. (INTC) $19.94 -1.10% American Express Co. (AXP) $300.45 -0.55% Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $100.58 -0.42% Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $114.34 -0.34%

S&P 500 - Risers

Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) $179.44 4.44% Alphabet Inc. Class A (GOOGL) $192.98 4.22% Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOG) $194.36 4.20% Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) $63.80 3.32% Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH) $27.22 3.11% Quanta Services Inc. (PWR) $328.80 2.78% Salesforce.Com Inc. (CRM) $358.29 2.71% Henry Schein Inc. (HSIC) $76.63 2.54% Alaska Air Group Inc. (ALK) $62.84 2.53% Mosaic Company (MOS) $26.46 2.47%

S&P 500 - Fallers

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $9.69 -7.05% CIGNA Corp. (CI) $296.30 -4.84% Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $538.10 -4.79% CVS Health Corp (CVS) $52.67 -4.50% Macy's Inc. (M) $15.98 -4.40% Hershey Foods Corp. (HSY) $179.30 -4.21% Kohls Corp. (KSS) $14.63 -3.91% Humana Inc. (HUM) $277.35 -2.96% Advance Auto Parts (AAP) $45.83 -2.60% Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $144.70 -2.58%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) $179.44 4.44% Alphabet Inc. Class A (GOOGL) $192.98 4.22% Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOG) $194.36 4.20% Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) $63.80 3.32% Tesla Inc (TSLA) $412.22 2.80% Henry Schein Inc. (HSIC) $76.63 2.54% Meta Platforms Inc. (META) $634.42 2.44% Netflix Inc. (NFLX) $935.11 2.38% Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. (ULTA) $421.64 2.36% Amazon.Com Inc. (AMZN) $230.27 2.32%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $9.69 -7.05% JD.com, Inc. (JD) $38.13 -3.61% Qurate Retail Inc. (QRTEA) $0.36 -3.19% Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $144.70 -2.58% Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $461.12 -1.73% Hologic Inc. (HOLX) $75.71 -1.45% Biogen Inc (BIIB) $154.09 -1.43% Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $271.91 -1.39% Baidu Inc. (BIDU) $88.06 -1.29% Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) $61.14 -1.26%