US equity markets settled modestly higher as markets digested further remarks from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on the pace and duration of higher interest rate rises to fight inflation.- Dow eased -58-points or -0.18%, with Merck & Co Inc (down -2.68%) and Travelers Companies Inc (-1.44%) The broader S&P500 edged +0.14% higher, with Real Estate (up +1.32%) and Information Technology (+0.84%) offsetting falls for the Energy sector (down -1.02%). Tesla Inc fell -3.04% with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating two complaints of steering wheels coming off 2023 Model Y vehicles while vehicle was in motion. Occidental Petroleum Inc gained +2.14% after a new regulatory filing showed Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway added to its already large stake in the company. The Omaha-based conglomerate bought nearly 5.8M shares of the oil company in recent sessions, bumping Berkshire’s ownership to 22.2%. Eli Lily and Co fell ~0.45% in extended trading (after rising +0.61% in the regular session) after the Wall Street Journal reported that the company’s drug aimed at preventing Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms start, solanezumab, had failed to slow down cognitive decline in healthy older adults at risk of developing the disease. The Nasdaq added +0.40%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 inched +0.04% higher. Uber Technologies Inc rose +2.15% after Bloomberg reported that the company is weighing a potential spinoff of its freight logistics unit.
