CPI Clears the Bar — Indices Hold Steady Gains 20 Minutes to Close

Right now the S&P 500 is up 0.30% and the Nasdaq up 0.54%, holding onto gains with twenty minutes left before the close. Compared to my last brief, both indices barely budged — just a few hundredths of a point either way — so the bigger picture hasn't shifted. What's been propping up the rally today is really the July CPI print landing close enough to expectations, and that relief seems to be carrying through into the final stretch. Sector-wise it's uneven: gold miners and cloud names are getting the love while real estate and fintech are lagging behind. Among what I'm holding, Microsoft and Freeport are still sitting on double-digit paper gains, though that's just where things stand right now, not a promise of where they're headed — the real thing to watch is whether this gain holds up through the close.