New York (AFP)

The New York Stock Exchange ended without a clear direction on Wednesday after a volatile session, marked by lower than expected inflation in the United States and rather solid corporate results.

The index of flagship stocks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new high by rising 0.20% to 31,437.80 points.

On the other hand, the Nasdaq, with strong technological coloring, fell by 0.25% to 13,972.53 points and the extended S&P 500 index dropped 0.03% to 3,909.88 points.

Market players digested the US inflation figures in January at the start of the session, which accelerated by 0.3%, less than the + 0.4% expected by analysts.

The price hike is on everyone's mind right now due to the accommodating policy of the Central Bank (Fed), which floods markets with liquidity, and Joe Biden's proposal to push through an economic bailout quickly. of 1.900 billion dollars.

In a speech Wednesday, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell assured that his institution would stay the course despite fears of accelerating inflation and an overheating economy.

Mr. Powell also estimated that the US labor market was "very far" from being solid and that it could take years before returning to full employment before the pandemic.

Investors also followed the results of several large listed companies on Wednesday.

The American soft drink giant Coca Cola (-0.20%), a member of the Dow Jones, has exceeded market expectations and has been optimistic about the future, but its sales and profits in Q4 2020 have retreated.

Twitter also did better than expected with revenue of $ 1.3 billion and net profit of $ 222 million for the network and its tweets.

Its stock rose 13.20%.

The specialist in the reservation of cars with driver Lyft recorded losses smaller than expected and generated better than expected revenues.

Its stock took 4.79%.

Toymaker Mattel fell 2.07%, despite strong Q4 sales of its dolls, led by Barbie, as well as its Hot Wheels toy cars, during the holiday season.

General Motors (GM) reported strong sales at the end of last year but the group's forecasts, affected by the semiconductor shortage shaking the auto industry, disappointed and its stock fell 2.21%.

© 2021 AFP