Stock Market Today: Dow Drops 613 Points After Hawkish Fed Talk
Stocks initially opened higher, but swung into negative territory around lunchtime.


Stocks started Wednesday trading higher thanks to another encouraging reading on inflation.
However, the major benchmarks couldn't sustain this early lead as dismal retail sales data stoked recession concerns and a Federal Reserve official threw support behind more interest-rate hikes.
Starting with the good news: The Labor Department this morning said its producer price index – which measures how much suppliers are charging businesses for goods – was up 6.2% year-over-year in December. This was down from November's 7.2% rise and was the lowest annual increase since March 2021. Core CPI, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, increased 4.6%, a slower pace of growth than what was seen in November. Month-over-month, headline PPI fell 0.5%, while core PPI rose 0.1%.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Today's PPI echoes what was seen in last week's consumer price index – that inflation is indeed easing as a result of the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest-rate hiking campaign. However, inflation is cooling because the Fed's rate hikes are slowing the economy. And this was seen in today's retail sales report. Specifically, the Commerce Department said retail sales were down 1.1% from November to December, marking a second consecutive monthly decline.
And while today's economic reports might have led investors to believe the Fed could ease up on the scale of future rate hikes, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said earlier at a Wall Street Journal event that he expects the benchmark rate to reach 5.25% to 5.5% by the end of 2023. This compares to the current rate of 4.25% to 4.5%, and is above market expectations for the benchmark rate to reach no higher than 5.0%, according to CME Group.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.8% at 33,296, the S&P 500 was off 1.6% at 3,928, and the Nasdaq Composite was 1.2% lower at 10,957.
The Best Commodity ETFs to Buy
Today's inflation update "represents another data point supporting the likelihood that producer prices have peaked from their apex last March at 11.7%, and are on their way down," says Greg Bassuk, CEO at asset management firm AXS Investments. "This is very good news for both Wall Street and Main Street, including because trends in producer prices typically seep down to consumers."
Still, inflation remains well above the Fed's 2% target, and "investors would be prudent to remain invested in inflation-sensitive assets," Bassuk adds. These assets include those found in cyclical sectors, like energy stocks and financials. They also include commodities, which have historically proven resilient amid rising prices. While the idea of engaging directly with commodity markets can be intimidating for some, the best commodity ETFs allow investors an easy way to gain exposure to the diverse asset class.
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

With over a decade of experience writing about the stock market, Karee Venema is the senior investing editor at Kiplinger.com. She joined the publication in April 2021 after 10 years of working as an investing writer and columnist at a local investment research firm. In her previous role, Karee focused primarily on options trading, as well as technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis.
-
Nvidia Earnings: Live Updates and Commentary May 2025
Nvidia's earnings event is less than a week away, and investors are keyed into the AI bellwether's results.
-
Stock Market Today: Dow Falls 817 Points as Bond Yields Rise
Financial markets are once again focused on Washington, D.C., but taxes, not tariffs, are driving recent price action.
-
Stock Market Today: Dow Falls 817 Points as Bond Yields Rise
Financial markets are once again focused on Washington, D.C., but taxes, not tariffs, are driving recent price action.
-
Stock Market Today: Cautious Investors Let Stocks Drift Lower
Markets weigh encouraging trends for earnings and tariffs against concerning signals from U.S. consumers.
-
Stock Market Today: Markets Discount Another U.S. Downgrade
After Friday's closing bell, Moody's followed Standard & Poor's and Fitch and cut its rating on U.S. government debt.
-
Stock Market Today: Investors Look on the Bright Side
A generally good week closes on another positive note, as investors, traders and speculators look for fresh catalysts.
-
My Three-Day Rule for Investing: And If it Applies Now
Stock Market I've seen a lot in my career. Here's what I see now in the stock market.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Climb More Walls of Worry
Volatility is back in a normal range, and the trend for the main equity indexes remains positive despite specific and general headwinds.
-
Is It Time to Invest in Europe?
Stock Market Europe is being shaken out of its lethargy, militarily and otherwise, by Donald Trump's changes in U.S. policy. Should investors start buying?
-
Stock Market Today: Nasdaq Outperforms as Big Tech Rallies
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower for a second day as Amgen and Merck fell.