(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 13 feb - US shares opened little changed after a key inflation report came in cooler than expected.

Today's consumer price index showed that consumer prices in January rose 0.2% from the previous month and 2.4% on the year. Core prices, stripping out energy and food, rose 0.3% and 2.5% on an annual basis. Both were below expectations.

Stubborn inflation, well above the Federal Reserve's long-term target of 2%, has prompted some central bankers to urge caution on monetary easing.

Expectations are currently for two interest rate cuts by the end of 2026.

On the stocks front shares in Applied Materials jumped more than 14% in early trade after the maker of semiconductor equipment reported better-than-expected earnings lifted by strong demand for AI computing. Rivian Automotive surged more than 21% after the EV startup posted higher than expected revenue.

Just after the opening bell the Dow Jones was down 55.70 points, or 0.11%, at 49,396.28 points, the S&P 500 was up 2.06 points, or 0.03%, at 6,834.82, while the Nasdaq was down.

32.81 points, or 0.15%, at 22,564.34.

(RADIOCOR) 13-02-26 15:40:37 (0441) 5 NNNN