US benchmark equity indexes ended mixed Tuesday as traders weighed the latest economic data, including a report showing that consumer prices rebounded in April.
* US consumer prices rebounded last month, but missed Wall Street's estimates, while annual inflation eased to the lowest level since February 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
"There isn't a lot of evidence of tariffs boosting the [consumer price index] in April, but this shouldn't be surprising as it takes time," Oxford Economics said. "The areas where tariffs likely boosted prices in April were in furniture/bedding, appliances, and to a lesser extent toys."
* Small business optimism in the US fell by 1.6 points sequentially to 95.8 last month, a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business showed. The consensus was for a 95 reading in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.
Uncertainty continued "to be a major impediment for small business owners in operating their business in April, affecting everything from hiring plans to investment decisions," NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said.
* June West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $1.78 to settle at $63.73 per barrel, while July Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $1.66 to $66.62 after China and the US over the weekend agreed to a 90-day pause in their tariff battle and even as inventories rise on higher supply.
* Nvidia (NVDA) shares were up nearly 6%. The chipmaking giant formed a partnership with Humain, a new subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, to build artificial intelligence factories in the country over a five-year period.
* UnitedHealth Group (UNH) suspended its full-year outlook amid higher-than-expected medical costs, while the health insurance giant said that Andrew Witty stepped down as chief executive due to "personal reasons." The company's shares slumped 17%.
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