US stocks end volatile day mixed ahead of inflation data

The Dow fell for the fourth consecutive session Tuesday ahead of a key US inflation report, but battered tech shares rallied amid speculation that the market has become oversold.

A volatile day ended with two of the three major indices in positive territory, marking a partial recovery from Monday’s rout and a generally bleak start to 2022, as investors grappled with inflation, tightening monetary policy, and the Ukraine war.

“The big question” is whether the market is at the end of the sell-off “or the beginning of a recovery,” said Quincy Krosby, chief equity strategist of LPL Financial.

“Statistically, we probably have more to go on the downside.”

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended down 0.3 percent at 32,160.74.

The broad-based S&P 500 gained 0.3 percent to 4,001.05, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1.0 percent to 11,737.67.

All eyes will focus on Wednesday’s consumer price report.

US consumer prices jumped 8.5 percent in the 12 months that ended in March, and though economists think that may have been the peak, the rate is likely to remain high for months to come.

The Labor Department is set to release the April CPI data on Wednesday, which economists project will show a much more modest monthly increase, slowing the torrid annual pace.

Pfizer rose 1.8 percent after announcing it would acquire Biohaven Pharmaceutical, a specialist in medications for treating and preventing migraines, for $11.6 billion in cash. Biohaven surged nearly 70 percent.

Duke Realty, which owns industrial properties in US logistics markets, increased 3.9 percent following an unsolicited $24 billion takeover offer from Prologis, another logistics real estate company. Prologis dropped 5.3 percent.

Peloton Interactive fell 8.7 percent after reporting a $757 million quarterly loss while dealing with slowing demand compared to earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic.