NEW YORK, May 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Tuesday as investors grappled with an uptick in annual inflation and global oil prices above 100 U.S. dollars a barrel.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 56.09 points, or 0.11 percent, to 49,760.56. The S&P 500 fell 11.88 points, or 0.16 percent, to 7,400.96, while the Nasdaq Composite Index shed 185.92 points, or 0.71 percent, to 26,088.20.
Performance across the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors was divided, with seven finishing in the green. Healthcare and consumer staples rose 1.93 percent and 1.56 percent, respectively. Conversely, consumer discretionary and technology led the laggards, declining 1.06 percent and 0.99 percent, respectively.
Market sentiment was heavily dampened by the U.S. April consumer price index report, which showed inflation remains stubbornly high. Consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in April, bringing the annual inflation rate to 3.8 percent, which is the highest level since May 2023.
Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.4 percent for the month and 2.8 percent annually.
Analysts noted that the monthly core inflation was the highest recorded since early 2025, a development likely to complicate the Federal Reserve's timeline for potential interest rate adjustments.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kevin Warsh to a 14-year term as a Federal Reserve governor, marking a pivotal step toward his expected ascension as the next leader of the U.S. central bank.
The West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery increased by 4.19 percent to settle at 102.18 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for July delivery followed suit, rising 3.42 percent to settle at 107.77 dollars a barrel.
"As these gas prices and other prices are higher, it's going to crimp more and more people, so the setup is for there to be continued struggles for the consumer," said Thomas Martin, senior portfolio manager at Globalt Investments.
