Wall Street Inches Higher as Traders Await CPI Report

U.S. stocks edged up slightly as investors looked ahead to Friday’s inflation report. The Dow added 0.15%, S&P 500 gained 0.38%, and Nasdaq rose 0.67%. Weakness in Tesla (-3.8%) and IBM (-4%) offset strength in oil and energy names amid rising crude demand. Market participants remain cautious but optimistic that CPI data could confirm easing inflation trends, supporting expectations of a Federal Reserve policy pause. Trading volumes stayed moderate as tech and retail sectors consolidated recent gains.