Wall Street breathed a sigh of relief after a surprise slowdown in inflation spurred a stock rally and a plunge in bond yields, reinforcing bets the Federal Reserve is on track to keep cutting rates this year.

Stocks rose at the end of their best week in 2024 after solid consumer sentiment data and bets that newly elected President Donald Trump’s pro-growth agenda will keep fueling Corporate America.

Stocks struggled for direction, bonds rose and the dollar fell, with polls continuing to depict a tight race in the US presidential election ahead of the Federal Reserve decision.

December’s whipsaw opening shows investors may be concerned November’s epic rallies went too far, too fast in anticipating a near-perfect soft landing for the economy.

Stocks pared gains on speculation the rally that followed softer-than-expected inflation data went too far, with the Federal Reserve still set to keep its monetary policy tight.