(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei -90.51 21154.17 -0.43%

TOPIX -14.06 1702.72 -0.82%

Hang Seng +676.07 30515.60 +2.27%

CSI 300 +31.33 3966.96 +0.80%

Euro Stoxx 50 +28.90 3369.83 +0.87%

FTSE 100 +45.96 7213.97 +0.64%

DAX +142.66 12339.16 +1.17%

CAC 40 +56.02 5165.26 +1.10%

DJIA +253.04 24893.49 +1.03%

S&P 500 +35.69 2698.63 +1.34%

NASDAQ +130.11 7143.62 +1.86%

S&P/TSX +111.80 15328.27 +0.73%

Major US stock indices rose significantly on Wednesday, as investors digested stronger than expected inflation data and unexpected drop in retail sales in January, which shifted focus from inflation to stagflation.

So, in January, retail sales in the US unexpectedly fell, fixing their biggest recession in almost a year, as households reduced purchases of cars and building materials. The Commerce Department reported on Wednesday that retail sales decreased 0.3% last month, which is the biggest decline since February 2017. Data for December were revised, and showed that sales remained unchanged, but not increased by 0.4%, as previously reported. Economists had forecasted a 0.2% increase in retail sales. Retail sales in January rose by 3.6% compared to last year.

However, the Ministry of Labor said that the consumer price index increased by 0.5% last month, as households paid more for gasoline, housing and health care. The consumer price index in December rose by 0.2%. The consumer price index remained unchanged at 2.1% year on year, as the largest increase in prices over the past year fell from the calculation.

Oil futures rose by about 2.5%, helped by data from the US Energy Ministry and the weakening of the dollar. The US Energy Ministry reported that oil reserves increased by 1.841 million barrels to 422.095 million barrels. However, growth was less than analyst consensus estimates at +2.825 million barrels.

Most components of the DOW index finished trading in positive territory (25 out of 30). Leader of the growth were shares of NIKE, Inc. (NKE, + 3.26%). Outsider were shares of McDonald's Corporation (MCD, -1.23%).

Almost all sectors of the S & P index recorded an increase. The base materials sector grew most (+ 2.0%). The decrease was shown only by the utilities sector (-0.6%).

At closing:

Dow + 1.03% 24,893.49 +253.04

Nasdaq + 1.86% 7.143.62 +130.10

S & P + 1.34% 2,698.63 +35.69

U.S. stock-index futures fell on Wednesday after the CPI data revealed that consumer prices rose at a faster rate in January than expected, fueling the speculations the Federal Reserve will quicken its pace of monetary tightening.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 21,154.17 -90.51 -0.43%

Hang Seng 30,515.60 +676.07 +2.27%

Shanghai 3,199.48 +14.52 +0.46%

S&P/ASX 5,841.20 -14.70 -0.25%

FTSE 7,154.28 -13.73 -0.19%

CAC 5,093.05 -16.19 -0.32%

DAX 12,097.36 -99.14 -0.81%

Crude $58.47 (-1.22%)

Gold $1,326.40 (-0.30%)

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

Seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 0.6% in both the euro area (EA19) and the EU28 during the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with the previous quarter, according to a flash estimate published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the third quarter of 2017, GDP grew by 0.7% in both zones. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, seasonally adjusted GDP rose by 2.7% in the euro area and by 2.6% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2017, after +2.8% in both zones in the previous quarter.

During the fourth quarter of 2017, GDP in the United States increased by 0.6% compared with the previous quarter (after +0.8% in the third quarter of 2017). Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, GDP grew by 2.5% (after +2.3% in the previous quarter). Over the whole year 2017, GDP grew by 2.5% in both zones.

European stocks fell Tuesday, as advances for mining and travel shares weren't enough to guide the market to a second consecutive win. The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, -0.63% declined by 0.6% to end at 370.58, with the utility and telecom groups losing the most. But the basic materials and consumer-services sectors pushed higher. On Monday, the benchmark climbed 1.2%, the first win in three sessions.

U.S. stocks on Tuesday finished in the green, marking a third consecutive gain for equity gauges, ahead of a key inflation reading, even as shades of last week's brutal selling lingered.

Asia-Pacific equity markets broke away from their recent lockstep trading, as the global stock rout over the past two weeks abated and local factors took center stage.