Investing.com -- The Nasdaq closed above 20,000 for the first time ever Wednesday, as tech resumed its rally following in-line inflation data that largely cemented a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week.
At 4:00 p.m. ET (21:00 GMT), the NASDAQ Composite rose 1.8% to close at a record of 20,034.89. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 99 points, or 0.2%, and the S&P 500 index gained 0.8%.
Tech snapped out of its recent malaise, pushing the broader market higher as Google and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA ) led to the upside.
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL ) jumped more than 5% adding to its gains from a day earlier, when the tech giant announced a new breakthrough in quantum computing, which could herald a sharp increase in computing speeds.
Rigetti Computing Inc (NASDAQ: RGTI ), which produces quantum integrated circuits for quantum computers, continued ride Google's rally, adding 13% to its 45% gain from Tuesday.
Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO ), meanwhile, rallied more than 6% as the chipmaker is reportedly helping Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) create an AI chip, The Information reported.
The Labor Department's consumer price index (CPI) rose by 2.7% last month, accelerating slightly from 2.6% in October, while stripping out more volatile items like food and fuel, the "core" number climbed by 3.3% in the twelve months to July, also in line with expectations.
"The surprise in the November report came from core services, where both rents and OER decelerated to 0,21% m/m and 0.23%," Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS ) said in a recent note.
"In our view, this is a favorable report for the Fed," it added, backing a 25bps rate cut next week the Fed's December 17-18 meeting.
About 98% of traders expect the Fed to cut next week, up from 92% a day earlier, according to Investing.com's Fed Rate Monitor Tool.
Macy’s (NYSE: M ) stock fell 4% after the department store chain cut its annual profit forecast, as it struggles with weak demand during the holiday shopping season
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ: PLAY ) stock slumped 20% after the Dallas-based arcade and restaurant chain announced the exit of CEO Chris Morris and reported disappointing third-quarter results.
(Peter Nurse, Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)