Wall Street ends tad lower after hot inflation data, ahead of Nvidia earnings

Wall Street's key indexes experienced a slight decline on Wednesday, following a surprise rise in US inflation data. The Commerce Department reported that inflation increased by 3.7% over the previous 12 months, slightly above expectations. The economy grew by 1.5% in the second quarter. These figures added complexity to the Federal Reserve's policy outlook, intensifying the focus on upcoming economic data and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's speech at Jackson Hole.

Investors were cautious ahead of Nvidia's earnings, which are expected to provide insight into the AI sector's future. Nvidia's shares dropped by 1.6%, and other companies such as CrowdStrike were up following stronger-than-expected quarterly results. Healthcare stocks underperformed, with the S&P 500's healthcare sector down by 1%.

Moderna and Merck, both involved in vaccine trials, saw mixed performances. Meta Platforms rose 1.1%, leading the S&P 500's gains, while Apple increased by 1.1%. Intuit and JM Smucker experienced declines, with the former falling 3.2% due to revenue expectations and the latter up 4.3% after reporting a smaller-than-anticipated sales decline.

The odds of an interest rate hike at the Federal Reserve's September meeting stood at 38.1%, according to the CME FedWatch tool.