Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Key Takeaways
- The S&P 500 gained 0.8% on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, as data showed inflation remaining sticky but matching forecasts, bolstering rate-cut expectations.
- Broadcom shares surged following reports that the semiconductor firm will partner with Apple on a new AI chip.
Major U.S. equities indexes were mixed Wednesday following the release of the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report.
Although annualized price increases in November ticked higher from October levels, the inflation data largely aligned with forecasts, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at next week’s policy meeting.
The S&P 500 added 0.8% in the mid-week trading session, while strength in the tech sector helped drive the Nasdaq up 1.8% to close above the 20,000-point threshold for the first time ever. The Dow ended the day 0.2% lower.
Shares of semiconductor and software provider Broadcom (AVGO) surged 6.6%, in the strongest performance of any S&P 500 stock on Wednesday. The gains followed reports of a collaboration with tech giant Apple (AAPL) to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) chip code-named Baltra.
Tesla (TSLA) stock jumped 5.9% to close at a record high for the first time in three years after reports that the electric vehicle (EV) maker intends to follow through on plans to develop a lower-cost vehicle, which could launch in the first half of next year. Analysts at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley also boosted their price targets on Tesla stock, noting CEO Elon Musk’s ties to the incoming presidential administration.
Natural gas futures prices popped more than 6% higher as colder temperatures lifted demand for the key heating fuel, underpinning a strong trading day for natural gas stocks. Shares of producer and pipeline operator EQT Corp. (EQT) advanced 5.9%.
GE Vernova (GEV) shares gained 5% after the energy equipment firm declared a new quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share and announced a $6 billion stock buyback authorization. The company also bumped up its outlook for sales, free cash flow, and margins in 2025.
Shares of Texas Pacific Land (TPL), an owner of major acreage in the oil-rich Permian Basin, dropped 6.9%, in the steepest daily decline in the S&P 500. The stock has been volatile over the past month, surging to a record high in late November after its addition to the S&P 500 but giving back those gains in recent weeks. The century-old land trust has been exploring alternatives to diversify its revenue sources, including data centers, bitcoin mining, and renewable energy projects.
Health care companies with pharmacy benefit management (PBM) operations came under pressure as members of Congress introduced a bipartisan bill that would require health insurers and PBM operators to divest their pharmacy businesses. Shares of CVS Health (CVS), home to the CVS Caremark PBM, fell 6.2%. Shares of UnitedHealth (UNH) and Cigna (CI), major insurers with their own PBM operations, also moved lower.
Shares of Uber Technologies (UBER) slipped 5.8% after General Motors (GM) announced that it would step away from its Cruise self-driving taxi initiative. The move comes amid concerns Tesla and Waymo, the self-driving technology company under Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL), are gaining an advantage in the developing robo-taxi market, with the potential to disrupt Uber’s ride-hailing business.
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) shares tumbled 5.6%. Wednesday’s downturn reversed a portion of the massive gains posted by the stock in the previous session following reports that the pharmacy operator was in talks to sell itself to a private equity firm.
