Wall Street ends sharply higher as Waller remarks ease rate hike fears

All three major US stock indexes concluded Thursday at a 1% premium, with the Nasdaq enjoying a boost from the AI-focused "Magnificent Seven" stocks. Financial markets cooled their rate hike expectations, with the probability of a Federal Reserve interest rate increase at their September meeting dropping to 50.4% from 63.2% on Wednesday, according to CME's FedWatch tool.

The benchmark US Treasury yield receded for the second consecutive day after peaking at its highest level since November 2023. Investors responded positively to Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller's statement that he would consider keeping key interest rates unchanged if economic data indicated inflationary pressures were easing.

Waller suggested he would support a rate hike if inflation persisted. This broad market boost was supported by generally positive economic reports, including low jobless claims, accelerating service sector growth, and a lower-than-expected US inflation gauge. Notable stock performance included Nvidia's 1.8% rise following its acquisition of Hugging Face, Snowflake's 16.6% increase on strong revenue forecasts, and a surge in crypto-linked stocks after Bitcoin's rebound.