US stock indices were subdued on Thursday following a mixed bag of corporate earnings, as financial markets closely track US-China trade dynamics and eagerly await key inflation data.
Despite the ongoing government shutdown, US officials are set to release the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reading for September on Friday.
The CPI inflation is a critical data point ahead of the Federal Reserve’s upcoming meeting later this month.
At 09:30 AM (ET), the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 14.50 points, or 0.04%, to 46,570.06. The S&P 500 managed to gain 6.03 points, or 0.09%, reaching 6,705.15, while the Nasdaq Composite was also up, gaining 6.99 points, or 0.07%, to 22,755.88.
Shares of IBM and Tesla edged lower following the release of their latest earnings reports. Conversely, Honeywell International and American Airlines rallied after their respective results were released.
Bullion Market
Gold prices rose by over 1% on Thursday, recovering ground after two consecutive sessions of losses, as fresh geopolitical risks bolstered the demand for the precious metal as a safe haven.
Spot gold was up 1.2%, trading at $4,143.80 per ounce as of 13:21 GMT. US gold futures for December delivery climbed a notable 2.3% to settle at $4,160.50 per ounce.
In the wider metals complex, spot silver gained 1.6% to hit $49.29 per ounce, and platinum added 1.2% to reach $1,640.61. Conversely, palladium saw a slight dip of 0.1% to trade at $1,457.08.