The three major U.S. stock indexes opened higher in New York. The producer price index (PPI) came in below expectations, which appears to have stoked risk appetite.
As of 9:36 a.m. on the 15th (local time) at the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 187.28 points, or 0.36%, at 52,695.55.
The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 rose 33.18 points, or 0.44%, to 7,576.77, and the Nasdaq composite gained 182.48 points, or 0.70%, to 26,289.48.
Following the June consumer price index (CPI) the previous day, the PPI also came in below the forecast. As views gained traction that the Federal Reserve (Fed) would be less hawkish, investor sentiment improved.
According to the Labor Department, last month's PPI fell 0.3% from the prior month on a seasonally adjusted basis. The market had expected it to be flat.
Core PPI, which excludes the volatile food and energy categories, also rose 0.2%, undershooting the market forecast for a 0.4% increase.
Still, there are notes that the Fed and the economy should not be completely at ease.
Adam Crisafulli, founder of Vital Knowledge, said, "Inflation remains high in absolute terms, and oil prices are again trending upward," adding, "artificial intelligence (AI) is also acting as an inflationary factor."
By sector, all groups were strong except energy and health care.
PayPal jumped 18.12% after word spread that payments company Stripe and private equity firm Advent International jointly proposed an acquisition.
BlackRock rose 7.61% after releasing second-quarter results that beat expectations.
Global oil prices moved higher.
At the same time, front-month West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for August 2026 delivery was at $80.29 a barrel, up 1.20% from the previous session.