U.S. stocks are rallying Wednesday after Wall Street and financial markets worldwide got a shot of adrenaline from an encouraging update on U.S. inflation. Strong profit reports from the biggest U.S.

Investors are gearing up for December's crucial consumer price index to determine the direction of Fed policy.

Investors are weighing what a reported gradual rollout of Trump tariff hikes could mean for inflation and the Fed.

Asian shares are mixed after gains for oil and gas producers helped offset drops for Nvidia and other Big Tech companies on Wall Street.

US stocks gained after cooler-than-expected producer price index data soothed inflation concerns. The numbers on Tuesday showed wholesale inflation rose 0.2% in December on a monthly basis, compared to an estimated 0.4% increase. The reading climbed 3.3% from a year ago, below the projected 3.5% gain.

U.S. stocks are ticking higher Tuesday following an encouraging update on inflation. The S&P 500 was 0.5% higher in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 164 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.