NEW YORK, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks traded higher on Wednesday, as U.S. consumer prices signaled upbeat inflation level in January, and market sentiment continued to be lifted by Washington's ongoing efforts to avert another government shutdown.
At midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 104.97 points, or 0.41 percent, to 25,530.73. The S&P 500 rallied 8.41 points, or 0.31 percent, to 2,753.14. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 15.79 points, or 0.21 percent, to 7,430.41.
Shares of Hilton Worldwide surged over 6 percent around midday, as the U.S. hotel chain reported quarterly profit that beat Wall Street forecasts.
Shares of Activision Blizzard also rose over 4 percent around midday, after the U.S. video game company reported adjusted quarterly profit that exceeded analysts' estimates.
Ten of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors extended gains around midday, with the energy sector up nearly 1.4 percent, leading the winners.
Though "not happy" with the tentative border security deal reached on Monday night, Trump said Tuesday that a government shutdown is unlikely at the end of the week during a meeting at the White House.
U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained unchanged last month, as falling gasoline prices eroded increases in the cost of food and rents, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Wednesday.
The CPI increased 1.6 percent for the 12 months ending January, the smallest increase since the period ending June 2017.
The market has widely believed that the data, indicating upbeat inflation level, would help the U.S. Federal Reserve keep its interest rates steady for some time, as the Fed not rising rates is normally favorable to the stock markets. Enditem
