US stocks open lower as inflation fuels rate hike concerns

US stocks opened lower Tuesday as stronger-than-expected inflation data and remarks by a Federal Reserve governor heightened concerns about further interest rate increases.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 148.31 points, or 0.28%, to 52,241.44.

The S&P 500 declined 43.05 points, or 0.57%, to 7,506.89, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 209.73 points, or 0.83%, to 25,043.41.

The VIX volatility index, also known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, rose 5.62% to 21.04.

US consumer prices increased 0.4% in October, slowing from September’s 0.6% rise but exceeding market expectations of 0.3%.

Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, stood at 0.3%, unchanged from September and above forecasts of 0.2%. Annual headline and core readings were unavailable because the 2025 government shutdown prevented the collection of October data last year.

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said in London before the inflation data was released that he was leaning toward supporting a quarter-point rate increase at the Fed’s December meeting, even if inflation improved.

He said, however, that a half-point increase should be considered if October core inflation came in around 0.3% or higher, warning that a smaller move under those circumstances could put the central bank’s credibility at risk.

Technology shares led the retreat on Wall Street. Marvell Technology dropped about 5%, while Intel and Micron Technology shed around 3%. Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm lost more than 2%, and Nvidia declined over 4%.

The losses followed Monday’s strong rebound, when the S&P 500 recorded its best session since April.