[DowJonesToday]Dow Jones Advances as Cooler Inflation Data Fuels Rate Cut Hopes

Economic Data - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 47951.85, up 65.88 points (0.14%) on December 18th, 2025, driven by a favorable November inflation report [1] - The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.7% year-over-year, below the expected 3.1%, while the core CPI increased 2.6%, lower than the 3.0% consensus [1] - The cooler inflation data has increased investor confidence in potential continued interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2026 [1] Company Performance - Micron Technology reported strong earnings, boosting the technology sector, particularly AI-related stocks, and halting recent declines in AI equities [2] - Amazon (AMZN) led the Dow's gains with a 2.74% increase, followed by Nvidia (NVDA) at 2.31%, and Microsoft (MSFT) at 2.28% [3] - Other notable gainers included Cisco Systems (CSCO) up 2.00% and Boeing (BA) increasing by 1.42% [3] - Conversely, Chevron (CVX) fell 1.28%, Procter & Gamble (PG) was down 1.20%, and UnitedHealth Group (UNH) dropped 0.93% [3]