Wall Street paused for a breather on Thursday, following Wednesday's big rally sparked by a softer-than-predicted December inflation report that fueled speculation on the Federal Reserve delivering interest rate cuts during the year.
By midday, stocks were little changed as attention shifted to the next major event: Donald Trump's inauguration as 47th U.S. president on Monday.
On the data front, December retail sales rose 0.4% from the previous month, a slower pace than November's 0.8% increase and below expectations of 0.6%. Jobless claims climbed by 16,000 to 217,000, slightly higher than the projected 210,000.
The weaker data sent Treasury yields lower, with the 10-year yield slipping four basis points to 4.61%, extending the previous day's 14-basis-point decline.
Falling yields helped gold climb 0.9% to $2,970 per ounce, reaching a two-month high as investors moved toward safe-haven assets.
Oil prices pulled back 2.6%, giving up part of Wednesday's 4% gain. Traders speculated that Trump's policies could ease sanctions on Russian energy exports as part of a broader effort to negotiate peace in Ukraine.
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) edged down 1% to $99,000, following a slight pullback across cryptocurrency markets.
Thursday’s Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs
According to Benzinga Pro data:
Thursday’s Stock Movers
Check Out:
Image: Shutterstock
© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.
