The three major indexes on the New York stock market were mixed. As the war between the United States and Iran continues, key economic indicators are being released, affecting investor sentiment.
As of 10:57 a.m. on the 13th (local time), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 118.33 points, or 0.25%, at 46,796.18 on the New York Stock Exchange. The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 rose 0.51 points, or 0.01%, to 6,673.13, while the Nasdaq composite fell 35.86 points, or 0.16%, to 22,276.30.
The war between the United States and Iran entered its 14th day. U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that day, "We will attack Iran very strongly over the next week," signaling a prolonged conflict.
Key economic indicators were released that day, including last year's fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) and this January's personal consumption expenditures (PCE).
The preliminary estimate for fourth-quarter GDP last year rose 0.7% on a seasonally adjusted annualized quarter-over-quarter basis. It was well below the advance estimate and the 1.4% forecast.
The PCE price index, the inflation gauge preferred by the Federal Reserve, was also released. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the PCE price index in January rose 2.8% from a year earlier, slightly below the 2.9% expected. Month over month, it rose 0.3%, in line with economists' expectations.
Excluding energy and food, the core PCE price index rose 3.1% from a year earlier and 0.4% from the prior month, matching economists' forecasts on both measures.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for January beat expectations. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, on a seasonally adjusted basis, job openings in January totaled 6.95 million, above the market forecast of 6.54 million.