Stocks seesawed in volatile trading Wednesday to end mixed with Nasdaq ourperforming on bargain hunting in technology shares, especially Tesla and Nvidia. The Dow Jones industrial average eased by 0.2 percent, the S&P 500 rose 0.5 percent, and the Nasdaq was up 1.2 percent. US bond yields and oil prices rose while the dollar was mixed versus major currencies.

A better than expected consumer price report gave traders an excuse to buy back stocks that appeared oversold after days of losses spurred by worries over tariffs. By Wednesday, analysts were expecting a rebound but stocks managed only a modest bounce. News that Europe and Canada were proceeding with counter-tariffs on US goods kept buyers largely sidelined, and additional trade threats from President Trump kept sentiment bearish.

The weaker than expected CPI report was attributed in part to weakening demand, which underpinned a shift out of cyclicals stocks into growth, especially big. technology shares. Among sectors, best were technology, consumer discretionary, and communications services. Lagging were energy, financials, industrials, consumer staples and health care.

Market Reflections track market reaction to the trading day's major events. Economic data, policymaker speeches, and company news are featured in this report as well as key indexes and financial instruments.

Understanding why markets respond as they do is fundamental for an investor. Market Reflections help explain how the day's events, news, and data impact the outlook for the economy and for market prices.