The markets enjoyed another soliday day today as tech supported the major indices as well as positive inflation data. Before the open the labor department reported softer price data than expected which hinted to investors that the Federal Reserve may not need to raise rates at such an aggressive pace. Every analyst and trader still expects a rate hike at the June meeting. The Dow 30 was higher by 187, the S&P 500 gained 22, and the Nasdaq 100 was higher by 44 on the day.
The consumer price index results caused the 10 year note to fall back to the 2.96% level after breaking above 3% yesterday. The labor department also announced that weekly jobless claims came in a 211,000 which remains near record lows.
Limited Brands (NYSE: LB) shares hit new lows today, losing 7.14% in the process as the parent company of Victoria Secret warned Wall Street that first quarter profits may come in lower than expected. Shares are now lower by almost 45% on the year, and the company is due to report earnings on May 23rd.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) shares made headlines today as another crash is under investigation in Florida that killed two teens. The crash investigation is said not to include a focus on the autopilot, rather the lithium-ion battery that exploded into flames after the crash. Investors did not seem too concerned as share prices were only modestly lower on the day.
Lastly, Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) is once again at the front of the headlines and not for good reason. The company has admitted to keeping fee rebates that should have been passed on to a Tennessee public pension fund while acting as its trustee. The pension fund says since 2010, Wells Fargo has improperly retained $47K belonging to the fund. Wells Fargo does not deny the claims but blames it on "system error."