Stock Market Indexes Rally on Inflation Data, Though the Dow Sat It Out

The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.1% and S&P 500 gained 0.6% following cooler-than-expected inflation data, with core PCE rising just 0.2% in August versus the 3.3% forecast. However, the rally was driven almost entirely by six mega-cap tech stocks, while the Dow remained flat as heavyweights like Caterpillar and Goldman Sachs declined. The market has shifted expectations for the next Fed rate hike from October to December.