Stock Market Today: Stocks Keep Climbing on Interest-Rate Optimism
Investors continued to cheer Thursday's inflation update, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 scoring their best week in months.


Stocks continued to climb Friday, boosted by hope that Thursday's inflation data, which showed a slower-than-expected rise in consumer prices last month, could have the Fed easing back on rate hikes sooner rather than later.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.9% to 11,323, while the broader S&P 500 Index rose 0.9% to 3,992 – building on Thursday's impressive rally. And while the Dow Jones Industrial Average spent most of the day lower on weakness in healthcare stocks UnitedHealth (UNH, -4.1%) and Merck (MRK, -3.9%), a late-day burst of buying power helped the blue-chip index eke out a modest gain (+0.1% to 33,747). It was the best week for the Nasdaq (+8.1%) since March, and for the S&P 500 (+5.9%) since June.
Despite the deceleration in inflation last month, today's economic data shows prices remain uncomfortably high for consumers. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index fell more than expected in November, to 54.7 from October's 59.9 – erasing about half the gains the index has seen since hitting a historic low in June. Additionally, consumers' expectations for where inflation will be at this time next year rose to 5.1% from last month's reading of 5%.

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.
José Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers, says today's consumer sentiment data points to a potentially rocky road ahead. "This month's reading reflects broad weakening across all categories and implies that consumers are feeling the pain of inflation, rising interest rates and tighter credit conditions," Torres says. "Overall, this report points to a tapped-out consumer that is likely to weaken further into next year."
What Buffett's Big Move Could Mean for USB
It was a busy week of headlines on Wall Street, but one notable news story flew under the radar of all but the most devout Buffettologists. On Thursday, a regulatory filing revealed Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Warren Buffett's holding company, slashed its stake in U.S. Bancorp (USB).
Specifically, Berkshire sold 56% of its position in USB, bringing its stake in the big bank to 3.5% from 8.1%. The move shouldn't come as a major surprise given the stock's longer-term performance troubles. Besides, Buffett has been reducing exposure to financial stocks in the Berkshire Hathaway equity portfolio for some time – including selling smaller portions of his U.S. Bancorp stake in recent quarters.
But what could this mean going forward? Read on as we take a closer look at Buffett's big move, and the impact this could have on USB stock.
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.
-
Ask the Editor — Tax Questions on Inherited IRAs
Ask the Editor In this week's Ask the Editor Q&A, we answer tax questions from readers on the rules on inheriting IRAs.
-
I Asked Experts When It's Worth Splurging on Beauty and Skincare — and When You Can Save
Smart Shopping Experts agree that while you don't have to spend three figures on your products, some higher-priced items have value.
-
Stock Market Today: It's 'Most Sectors Go' Ahead of Independence Day
The resilience trade continues to work, even for sectors and stocks with specific uncertainties.
-
Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Hit New Highs After Vietnam Trade Deal
Ahead of a key July 9 tariff deadline, President Trump said the U.S. has reached a trade deal with Vietnam.
-
Stock Market Today: Another Quarter, More Mixed Price Action
"Up and to the right" remains the general trend despite persistent uncertainty around critical policy issues.
-
Stock Market Today: A Historic Quarter Closes on High Notes
"All's well that ends well" is one way to describe the second quarter of 2025, at least from a pure price-action perspective.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Swing as Trump Scraps Canada Trade Talks
Despite a mid-afternoon slip, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended the day at new record highs.
-
Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Near New Highs
The S&P 500 hasn't hit a new high since February. It's been since December for the Nasdaq.
-
7 Essential Investing Rules We All Should Know
The best time to start investing is right now. That's just one vital rule investors should be familiar with. Here are six more.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Struggle to Sustain Gains
Mixed messages from multiple sources continue to make for a messy market for investors, traders and speculators.