Wall Street stocks mostly rose early Wednesday as investors reacted hopefully to a US consumer price report that showed some progress in countering inflation.
The consumer price index (CPI), a key inflation gauge, rose 4.9 percent from a year ago, just a touch lower than March's 5.0 percent figure.
The report, which was largely in line with analyst expectations, will inform upcoming actions by the Federal Reserve, which has lifted interest rates repeatedly to bring down prices.
The improved data "should at least spur the Fed to entertain keeping its policy rate on hold when it meets again in June," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.
About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.1 percent at 33,543.63.
The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.3 percent at 4,133.04, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.8 percent to 12,273.13.
Among individual companies, Airbnb slid 12.5 percent on disappointment over the travel website's second-quarter outlook.
