Musk to co-lead government efficiency department; CPI data – what’s moving markets

Investing.com – US stock futures edged lower after a post-election rally paused in the previous session. Highlighting the economic calendar on Wednesday will be the latest monthly US consumer price index, which could provide a glimpse into the state of inflationary pressures ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next meeting in December. Elsewhere, Elon Musk is tapped by US President-elect Donald Trump to co-lead a new department focused on government efficiency.

1. Futures lower

US stock futures pointed lower on Wednesday, with investors awaiting the release of key inflation data that could factor into how the Federal Reserve approaches its next interest rate decision.

By 03:42 ET (08:42 GMT), the Dow futures contract had inched down by 117 points or 0.3%, S&P 500 futures had fallen by 11 points or 0.2%, and Nasdaq 100 futures had dipped by 34 points or 0.2%.

The main averages on Wall Street ended the prior session in the red, snapping a multi-day rally initially sparked by Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election last week. Traders have been betting that Trump’s second term will see a new era of tax cuts and looser regulation, although some economists have suggested his plans could push up inflation and lead the Fed to cut interest rates at a slower pace than initially anticipated.

On Tuesday, Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin said the central bank was ready to respond to any renewed upward momentum in recently waning price growth.

A post-election surge in other so-called “Trump trades” — or assets that have moved roughly in step with Trump’s candidacy — also cooled. The US dollar hovered under a six-and-a-half month peak against its major currency peers, while Bitcoin slipped after a record-smashing climb. Trump has promised to make the US the “crypto capital of the planet.”

2. Trump names Musk, Ramaswamy to lead Department of Government Efficiency

President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday evening that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a department aimed at streamlining government agencies and reducing bureaucracy.

Trump said the two will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling the agency “potentially, ‘the Manhattan Project’ of our time.” The agency will “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement.

He added the agency will work from outside the confines of government, partner with the White House to enact structural reforms, and “create an entrepreneurial approach to government.” Trump also signaled that the roles would be informal and not require Senate approval, which could mean Musk will be allowed to continue as boss of electric vehicle giant Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), social media platform X and rocket group SpaceX.

Trump vowed to increase government efficiency during his campaign, promising to phase out what he sees as unnecessary regulation while also downsizing several agencies to reduce government spending.

3. CPI ahead

Investors are now looking ahead to release of October’s US consumer price index on Wednesday, a crucial gauge of inflation in the world’s biggest economy.

Economists expect headline price growth to have sped up to 2.6% last month on an annualized basis, compared to 2.4% in September. Month-on-month, the figure is tipped to come in at 0.2%, matching September’s pace.

The “core” reading, stripping out more volatile items like food and fuel, is seen at 3.3% year-on-year and 0.3% on a monthly basis, in line with September.

Fed policymakers will likely be keeping close tabs on the numbers as they attempt to gauge the path ahead for interest rates over the rest of this year and into 2025. Traders are pricing in a 62.4% chance the central bank will roll out a quarter-point reduction in December, according the CME Group’s (NASDAQ:CME) FedWatch Tool.

The Fed previously slashed borrowing costs by 25-basis points last week to a range of 4.50% to 4.75%, noting that while inflation was “somewhat elevated” the risks to achieving stable price growth and a resilient jobs market were “roughly in balance.” Chair Jerome Powell said officials will also “patiently” consider bringing rates down further to a “neutral” setting that neither helps nor hinders economic activity, although analysts have begun to speculate how the Fed could adjust its stance in response to Trump’s policy plans.

4. Spotify forecast tops estimates

Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) reported current-quarter profit guidance that topped estimates as the Swedish audio streaming giant banked on cost-cutting efforts and subscriber growth during the key holiday shopping season.

The company guided for operating income of 481 million euros ($506.76 million) in the fourth quarter, above expectations of 445.7 million euros, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters. Its forecast for monthly active users of 665 million was also ahead of projections of 661 million.

Shares in the group rose by more than 6% in extended hours trading. Speaking to Reuters, CEO Daniel Ek said Spotify is on track to achieve full-year profitability, calling it “a very important milestone that investors have been waiting on for us for a long time.”

In its third quarter, gross margin expanded to 31.1% during the period from 26.4% a year earlier, while monthly active users grew 11% to 640 million. Gross profit, meanwhile, spiked by 40% to 1.24 billion euros, versus expectations of 1.22 billion euros.

5. Oil pares losses

Oil prices pared back recent losses on Wednesday, but remained near their lowest in two weeks after the OPEC producer group downgraded its global oil demand growth forecasts.

By 03:43 ET, the Brent contract climbed 0.1% to $71.93 per barrel, while US crude futures (WTI) were mostly unchanged at $68.14 per barrel.

Both contracts had fallen by more than 5% at the start of the week. In its monthly report on Tuesday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut its forecast for world oil demand growth in both 2024 and 2025, mostly due to weakness in top oil importer China.

The International Energy Agency is set to publish its updated forecast on Thursday.

(Reuters contributed reporting.)