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Indexes down: Dow 0.36%, S&P 500 0.16%, Nasdaq 0.12%
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Producer inflation rises more than expected in July
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Markets reduce Fed rate-cut expectations for 2025
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Deere, Tapestry flag strains from US tariffs
(Updates with late morning prices)
By Johann M Cherian and Sanchayaita Roy
Aug 14 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes declined
on Thursday, after a hotter-than-expected producer prices report
dampened investor expectations of potential interest-rate cuts
by the Federal Reserve this year.
A Labor Department report showed producer prices increased
by the most in three years in July due to a surge in the costs
of goods and services, suggesting a broad pickup in inflation
was imminent.
Traders trimmed their Fed rate-cut expectations for the rest
of the year to about 56.7 basis points, according to data
compiled by LSEG, compared with around 63 bps before the report.
But they are still fully pricing in a
quarter-percentage-point cut in September.
"The implication is that the Fed is going to offer a 25-bit
cut in September. But it will be a hawkish cut. It's way too
early still for the Fed to wish to guide the market towards an
extended easing cycle," said Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates
strategist at Macquarie Group.
"The next important thing will be the Expenditures Price
Index later this month. If there are signals that there's
inflation broadly in services, the market will take that
adversely."
A separate report on Thursday showed the number of
Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits fell last
week.
At 11:55 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
fell 163.83 points, or 0.36%, to 44,758.44, the S&P 500
lost 9.96 points, or 0.16%, to 6,456.62 and the Nasdaq Composite
lost 26.59 points, or 0.12%, to 21,686.56.
Recent data reflecting labor market weakness and a moderate
rise in consumer prices had strengthened expectations that the
central bank will potentially lower interest rates next month.
However, Thursday's report fanned concerns that U.S. tariffs
on imports could start to impact prices in the coming months and
dampen a rally in U.S. stocks that had helped the benchmark S&P
500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq log record highs over
the past two sessions.
On Thursday, eight of the 11 S&P 500 sectors declined, with
materials falling the most, down 1.3%. Rate-sensitive
small-caps and housing stocks also dropped more
than 1% each.
St.Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem, a voting member on
the Federal Open Market Committee this year, said a half-point
rate cut at the Fed's September meeting is not warranted, a day
after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was possible.
Cisco Systems ( CSCO ) lost 1.4% after the network equipment
manufacturer's broadly in-line forecast did little to encourage
investors.
Deere & Co ( DE ) fell 7.4% after the farm-equipment maker
reported a lower quarterly profit and tightened its annual
profit forecast, while Tapestry plunged 14.3% after the
Coach handbag maker forecast annual profit below estimates.
Both companies warned of tariffs impacting their business.
In geopolitics, focus will be on President Donald Trump's
upcoming meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin as he seeks to
achieve a halt to the Ukraine conflict.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 3.86-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE and by a 3.14-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P 500 posted 12 new 52-week highs and one new low
while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 57 new highs and 55 new
lows.