Investing.com -- U.S. stocks edged higher Friday after cooler-than-expected U.S. producer prices raised hopes of Federal Reserve rate cuts early this year.
By 13:25 ET (18:25 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 138 points, or 0.4%, S&P 500 traded 2 points, or 0.05% higher, and NASDAQ Composite climbed 1 point, or 0.01%.
Producer prices fell unexpectedly in December
Data released earlier Friday showed that U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell 0.1% in December, while the November release was revised to show the PPI falling 0.1% instead of being unchanged as previously reported. This bodes well for lower inflation in the months ahead.
While Thursday’s consumer prices report showed that headline U.S. inflation accelerated in December, investors are still looking for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates early this year.
Futures contract prices now point to expectations for rates to fall below 3.75% by year-end, versus a 3.75%-4% range before the data, with a first rate cut likely in March.
Banking giants have differing results
The fourth-quarter earnings season started in earnest on Friday, with results due from a number of banking giants.
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) stock rose after the bank unveiled a forecast for annual net interest income that topped estimates, while higher interest rates lifted profits to record levels in 2023. However, it now trades 0.2% lower after giving up its initial gains.
On the flip side, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) stock fell 1.2%, with the lender facing reduced profits due to various charges in the fourth quarter, compounded by an unexpected decline in revenue from fixed-income traders.
Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) stock fell 3.2% after the lender experienced higher-than-expected fourth-quarter costs, driven by severance charges and the bank's contribution to replenish the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s main fund following last year's bank failures.
Elsewhere, health insurer UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) shares fell 3.8% after the health insurer reported a jump in medical care costs in the fourth quarter, while Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock fell 3.5% after the EV maker cut prices of some of its new China models, while adding it will suspend most car production at its factory near Berlin.
Crude soars after strikes against Houthi forces
Oil prices soared Friday after U.S.-led forces launched airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen, increasing concerns over disruptions to Middle East supplies.
By 13:25 ET, the U.S. crude futures traded 1.1% higher at $72.80 a barrel, while the Brent contract climbed 1.4% to $78.46 a barrel.
The United States and Britain carried out the strikes in retaliation for attacks by the Iran-backed group on shipping in the Red Sea starting from late last year and came shortly after Iran seized an oil tanker with Iraqi oil in the Gulf of Oman.
Several major shipping operators have decided to steer clear from the region, disrupting supplies on the key route between Europe and Asia, which accounts for about 15% of the world's shipping traffic.
Additionally, gold futures rose 1.6% to $2,051.50/oz, while EUR/USD traded 0.1% lower at 1.0957.
(Oliver Gray contributed to this article.)