Today's producer price index (PPI), which measures what businesses are charging suppliers for goods, confirmed what Wednesday's consumer price index (CPI) did – that inflation continued to ease in June.
The data were enough to keep the momentum going in stocks, with all three major indexes closing higher for a fourth straight day.
Ahead of the opening bell, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the June PPI rose 0.1% on both a monthly and yearly basis in June, beating economists' estimates. Core PPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, also beat forecasts, rising 0.1% month-over-month and 2.6% year-over-year.
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Separately, data from the Labor Department showed initial jobless claims fell 12,000 last week to 237,000. Continuing claims rose by 64,431 to 1.76 million.
"This morning's Producer Price Index is a sequel to yesterday's Consumer Price Index showing that inflation is continuing to weaken, which is sustaining an already strong equity rally," says José Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers. Additionally, this morning's jobs data "imply that the Federal Reserve can potentially continue to tighten monetary policy without significantly weakening the labor market."
PepsiCo pops after earnings
In single-stock news, Delta Air Lines (DAL) was up nearly 4% at its intraday high after the air carrier reported higher-than-expected earnings of $2.68 per share. Revenue of $15.6 billion also topped forecasts. Additionally, the company raised its full-year outlook, citing "robust" travel demand. Still, DAL finished the day down 0.5%.
PepsiCo (PEP) was also in the earnings spotlight, climbing 2.4% after its results. The soft drink and snack maker's second-quarter earnings of $2.09 per share on $22.3 billion in revenue handily beat analysts' estimates. It also lifted its fiscal 2023 guidance for the second straight quarter.
Big banks are next up on the earnings calendar, with JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Wells Fargo (WFC) among those reporting tomorrow morning.
As for the major indexes, the Nasdaq Composite popped 1.6% to 14,138, the S&P 500 gained 0.9% to 4,510, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% to 34,395.
IBM stock's disappoints long-term investors
We talk a lot about stock picking in this space. Sometimes we do so by taking a closer look at the stocks Warren Buffett is buying or selling in the Berkshire Hathaway equity portfolio. In other cases we dive into regulatory filings to see which blue chip stocks are being scooped up by hedge funds.
We've also crunched the numbers on several individual stocks to see which ones have been rock-solid investment ideas over the last two decades. Not surprisingly, several mega-cap tech stocks make the list, including Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT).
But on the other end of the scale are stocks that have been massive disappointments for investors. Take, for instance, International Business Machines (IBM). The once venerable industry leader has been a market laggard for some time now, and turned in a dismal 20-year return for investors. Just how bad? Dan Burrows, senior investing writer at Kiplinger.com, does the math on IBM stock.
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