US stocks tipped higher on Thursday, eyeing a rebound from recent losses as investors looked to fresh quarterly earnings for inspiration amid dwindling hopes for an early 2024 interest rate cut.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) added around 0.4%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Compossite (^IXIC) led gains, rising 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped about 0.3%.
Techs led stocks higher after a bullish AI-fueled revenue outlook from TSMC (TSM), a key supplier to Apple (AAPL) and Nvidia (NVDA). The Taiwanese contract chipmaker’s profit fell but beat Wall Street estimates. Shares of AMD (AMD) and other chipmakers stepped higher as TSMC put on almost 7%.
Stocks are still struggling to get off the ground this year as central bankers’ comments and mixed economic data put investors’ faith in a Federal Reserve pivot to the test. The odds of a rate cut in March as seen by traders have dropped 10 percentage points from a week ago, per the CME FedWatch Tool.
Read more: What the Fed rate-hike pause means for bank accounts, CDs, loans, and credit cards
Investors are on the lookout for fresh data to feed their expectations, so Thursday’s release of readings on weekly jobless claims will be in focus. Housing starts and building permits for December are also on the docket.
Eyes will also be on Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, scheduled to appear twice today and closely watched for any deviation from his colleagues’ pushback on rate-cut bets.
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