US stocks gain after benign inflation data, oil prices retreat

A general view shows the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Aug 7, 2026, in New York. (Photo: AP/Yuki Iwamura) 14 Aug 2026 05:32AM NEW YORK: Wall Street stocks advanced Thursday (Aug 13) with the S&P 500 finishing at a fresh record as investors welcomed further signs of easing US inflation while oil prices pulled back.The Producer Price Index in July was flat on a month-on-month basis, while it rose 4.7 per cent from a year ago, down from a 5.5 per cent increase in June.The reading, which followed a benign consumer inflation reading Wednesday, bolstered expectations that Federal Reserve officials would not feel obliged to raise borrowing costs quickly."A September interest rate hike - as we've been forecasting - is now looking unlikely," said Stephen Brown, an economist at Capital Economics.