Stock indexes eye gains as Fedspeak signals rate patience

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeInvestorStock indexes eye gains as Fedspeak signals rate patienceThe technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index rose 1.1 per cent, heading for its biggest gain in a weekAuthor of the article:Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on September 02, 2026 in New York City. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesThe S&P 500 Index rose Thursday, on track for its best day in a month, as investors weighed remarks from United States Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, who offered optimism that inflation is showing some signs of slowing. Traders pared bets for interest-rate hikes in September.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe benchmark equities gauge jumped one per cent as of 12:22 p.m. in New York. Waller, earlier in the day, said his next decision on interest rates will be “heavily influenced” by August inflation data due next week. The technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index rose 1.1 per cent, heading for its biggest gain in a week, with broader gains still kept in check after chip stocks dropped following Broadcom Inc.’s earnings.Broadcom shares fell 4.1 per cent after the chipmaker’s results and forecast were seen as underwhelming, even as it predicted a boom in artificial intelligence chip sales over the next two years. An exchange-traded fund tracking chip names slipped 0.4 per cent, after falling as much as 2.4 per cent earlier. Nvidia Corp. rose 1.3 per cent after agreeing to acquire artificial intelligence startup Hugging Face in a transaction valued at about US$13 billion.Canada's best source for investing news, analysis and insight.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Investor will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“It is safe to conclude that the AI data-centre boom persists,” said Louis Navellier, chief investment officer at Navellier & Associates. “As the fall arrives and the weather cools, I expect that the stock market will heat up, since another round of record earnings is expected to be announced.”Among single-stock movers, Snowflake Inc. rallied 21 per cent, on track for its best day since late May, after the software company’s quarterly results beat expectations and it raised its full-year forecast for product revenue. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. fell five per cent, heading for its biggest drop since late July, after reporting increasing sales that didn’t meet high expectations from investors.Investors are gearing up for Friday’s jobs report for clues on the Fed’s path for interest rates. Economists estimate that the employment report, due at 8:30 a.m. in Washington on Friday, will show U.S. employers added 55,000 jobs in August. Such a result would be broadly in-line with average job growth this year.The S&P 500 is projected to swing just 0.7 per cent in either direction on Friday, in line with the average realized move on jobs-report days over the past 12 months, options-market data compiled by Citigroup Inc. show. Stuart Kaiser, the firm’s head of U.S. equity trading strategy, says Friday’s implied move, based on prices of S&P 500 option straddles as of Tuesday’s close, is too low.Data released Thursday showed initial jobless claims for the period through Aug. 29 were broadly in line with estimates. Meanwhile, the U.S. service sector expanded in August by the most in six months, bolstered by strong demand and a pickup in business activity.Nine of the 11 sectors in the S&P 500 rose on Thursday, led by gains in consumer discretionary and communication services while materials fell. Wall Street’s chief fear gauge — the Cboe Volatility Index remained below 15 — a level that doesn’t typically signal market stress.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Energy shares were flat in the S&P 500 as U.S. oil prices were flat after briefly topping US$93, marking the latest bout of volatility for crude prices, which have swung sharply as the U.S. and Iran intensified tit-for-tat military strikes in recent days.Elsewhere, Tesla Inc. is outperforming its Magnificent Seven peers, rising 7.1 per cent — on tack for its best day since late June — with the electric-vehicle maker set to host a Cybercab event in Austin. Meta Platforms Inc. climbed four per cent after the social-media giant released its most powerful AI model yet.NetApp Inc. rose 3.3 per cent after the data storage and management company reported first-quarter results that beat expectations and raised its full-year forecast. The stock has been a strong performer this year, up nearly 70 per cent as of Wednesday’s close.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.