US equity markets advanced as investors digested the latest inflation report that saw the cost of living cool for the first time on a monthly basis since the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, while the annual rate of inflation fell for the sixth month in a row - Dow rose +217-points or +0.64%. Walt Disney Co rose +3.61% after the company announced Mark Parker, the executive chairman of Nike Inc (down-0.04%), as its new chairman. In addition, the company opposed Nelson Peltz of Trian as he pushes for a seat on the board, igniting a proxy battle. The broader S&P500 added +0.34%, with Energy (up +1.87%) and Real Estate (+1.09%) gaining over >1% to lead eight of the eleven primary sectors higher. The more defensive sectors underperformed overnight, with Consumer Staples (down -0.79%), Utilities (-0.64%) and Health Care (-0.39%) all settling in the red. It marked the first time the S&P 500 has risen three days in a row since early November. American Airlines Group Inc jumped +9.71% after the carrier boosted its revenue and profit estimates for the fourth quarter. The airline, which reports earnings 26 January, cited strong demand and high fares for the hike in estimates. Tesla Inc edged +0.28% higher. Retail traders unloaded US$746 million worth of stock in the electric vehicle maker over the past week, bringing the total outflow over the last three weeks to US$2.1B, according to data from JPMorgan. The selling came even as investors piled back into stocks, buying US$1.2B worth of equities in the past week. That buying included US$157M of Amazon.com Inc (up +0.19%) and US$102M of Apple Inc (down -0.06%). The Nasdaq climbed +0.65%, extending its gains into a fifth consecutive session and marking the longest winning streak for the technology-centric index since 8 June last year. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 +1.74%.
