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What is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?

What is the Consumer Price Index(CPI)? The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the change in prices paid by consumers for a basket of goods and services. It is one of the most widely followed economic indicators, and it is used by investors to gauge inflation and make investment decisions. How is the CPI calculated? The CPI is calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS surveys households across the United States to collect data on the prices they pay for goods and services. This data is then used to create a "basket" of goods and services that represents the spending habits of the average American household. The BLS calculates the CPI by comparing the prices in the basket of goods and services in a given month to the prices in the same basket of goods and services in a base year. The base year is usually 2000. How does the CPI affect investing? The CPI is an important indicator of inflation. When the CPI rises, it means that the cost of living is incre...
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S&P 500 Futures: Megamerger Talk & AI's Test

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Photo by David Vives on Unsplash 📅 October 21, 2026 · 09:14 AM EDT  |  Wall Street Daily Briefing Pre-Market Snapshot US equity futures are mixed this morning, with the AI-driven tech sector facing divergent signals as the pre-market session for October 21, 2026, unfolds. Weakness in Netflix post-earnings is balanced by a significant surge in SpaceX shares. Overnight, Asian and European markets closed broadly mixed, creating a cautious backdrop for Wall Street's open at 9:30 AM ET. Today's US session begins with S&P 500 futures and NASDAQ futures trading with fractional shifts, underscoring investor indecision. Overnight, Asia saw Japan's Nikkei 225 finish down, while the Hang Seng gained, and European indices like the DAX logged modest moves. The US Dollar Index (DXY), Brent Crude, and Gold prices are holding relatively steady, not providing a strong directional cue. The market is processing headlines including Netflix's...
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3 Hang Seng Signals From Today's Tech Sell-Off

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Photo by Derek Tang on Unsplash 📅 October 21, 2026 · 03:37 AM EDT  |  Wall Street Daily Briefing Hong Kong Market Overview Hong Kong stocks drifted lower on October 21, 2026, driven by a heavy sell-off in heavyweight technology and telecom majors. Market weakness centered on profit-taking across digital platforms, while selective hardware optical and property equities provided modest downside support during the completed trading session. The Asia market close highlighted pronounced weakness in platform operators, pulling the broader Hong Kong stock market today into defensive territory. Pressure mounted early as Internet behemoth Tencent Holdings (0700.HK) sank -3.65% to $395.4 , while telecommunications leader China Mobile (0941.HK) dropped -4.10% to close at $77.2 . Breadth skewed heavily toward decliners, though defensive real estate and hardware components isolated modest buying interest. Sun Hung Kai Properties (0016.HK) adde...
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S&P 500: AMZN & Tech Lead US Close as AI Rally Spreads

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Photo by Larry Nalzaro on Unsplash 📅 October 20, 2026 · 08:12 PM EDT  |  Wall Street Daily Briefing Market Overview — October 20, 2026 At the Wall Street close on October 20, 2026, US equity markets delivered a split performance defined by aggressive bidding in big tech and enterprise hardware against noticeable softness in money-center banks and legacy industrial names. Leading the charge across the equity landscape, Amazon (AMZN) surged +4.98% to close at $262.45 , while Tesla (TSLA) jumped +3.76% to finish at $368.06 . Semiconductor momentum remained firmly intact as Broadcom (AVGO) advanced +1.78% to $334.59 and Intel (INTC) added +2.43% to reach $92.03 . Additional support came from enterprise software staple IBM (IBM) , which climbed +1.83% to $236.39 . Conversely, major financial institutions faced broad distribution throughout the session. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) retreated -1.82% to close at $333.53 , while Bank of ...
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S&P 500 futures: Wall Street: AI Push Meets Credit Warning

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Photo by Nihar Bhagat on Unsplash 📅 October 20, 2026 · 09:13 AM EDT  |  Wall Street Daily Briefing Pre-Market Snapshot US futures face a mixed open this morning, caught between renewed Big Tech enthusiasm for AI spending and growing caution from credit markets. While Asia and Europe finished mixed, the looming question for Wall Street is whether AI infrastructure investment can outrun rising default concerns in riskier junk bonds. The upcoming US session on October 20, 2026 , will likely be defined by this dichotomy. Overnight, no dramatic moves were seen across Asian or European benchmarks, which concluded with relatively narrow ranges. The US stock market open today, however, finds itself grappling with distinct narratives. On one hand, headlines highlight Meta's renewed 'offense' in AI, which could entail substantial investment, as reported by two major financial publications. Conversely, the same sources underscored credit m...
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Hang Seng: 3 Signals From Today's Asia Market Close

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Photo by Celvin Purnama on Unsplash 📅 October 20, 2026 · 03:39 AM EDT  |  Wall Street Daily Briefing Hong Kong Market Overview The Hong Kong stock market exhibited sharp divergence during the October 20, 2026 session, driven by stock-specific reallocations. While hardware components outperformed with Sunny Optical surging 4.25%, heavyweights like Alibaba and HSBC slid over 3%, dragging down broader benchmark sentiment across the Hang Seng trading tape. In today's Hong Kong session on October 20, 2026 , major benchmark indices experienced conflicting capital flows as high-beta tech platforms and financial titans faced renewed selling pressure. 9988.HK (Alibaba) retreated -3.22% to close at $105.3 , while 0005.HK (HSBC) shed -3.14% to settle at $145.0 . Conversely, select tech hardware and healthcare stocks demonstrated noticeable resilience; 2382.HK (Sunny Optical) surged +4.25% to $60.15 and 1177.HK (Sino Biopharmaceutical) ...
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NASDAQ Close: Tech Slides as Real Economy Rotation

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Photo by Oren Elbaz on Unsplash 📅 October 19, 2026 · 08:13 PM EDT  |  Wall Street Daily Briefing Market Overview — October 19, 2026 US stocks closed mixed today, October 19, 2026, as a notable rotation out of growth-oriented technology names into traditional energy and consumer staples sectors characterized the session. The NASDAQ Composite bore the brunt of the selling, finishing down 1.50% at 17,102.35. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed a modest gain of 0.15% , closing at 39,588.12, primarily buoyed by its defensive and cyclical components. The broader S&P 500 declined slightly by 0.25% , settling at 5,255.48, underscoring the divergence within the market. This internal shift points to investors recalibrating portfolios amidst concerns over interest rate sensitivity and potential economic rebalancing. What stands out to me is the pronounced flight from speculative growth, challenging the prevailing narra...
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NASDAQ Futures: AI Boom Meets Higher Borrowing Costs

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Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash 📅 October 19, 2026 · 09:13 AM EDT  |  Wall Street Daily Briefing Pre-Market Snapshot NASDAQ futures suggest a cautious open this morning, following a stumble in tech stocks. The underlying tension lies between anticipated strong earnings and the persistent drag of rising borrowing costs, setting up a high-stakes showdown for the Wall Street open today. Global markets saw mixed movements. US index futures are trending lower this morning, pointing to a subdued pre-market session, particularly for NASDAQ futures. This follows a period where "tech stocks stumbled," setting the stage for a crucial day. The primary force at play appears to be the collision between the narrative of "strong earnings" – a key theme for the "crucial week" ahead in 2026 – and the persistent drag of "rising borrowing costs." Goldman Sachs' "buy the dip" call on CoreWeave, menti...
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