Stocks climbed Wednesday after a key inflation reading showed that consumer prices rose less than expected in March.
The Dow Jones Industrials gained 54.8 points to begin the midweek session at 33,739.59.
The broader index poked ahead 3.67 points to 4,112.61.
The NASDAQ fell 10.9 points to 12,020.97.
Later in the week, the health of the U.S. economy and consumer will be put to the test as first-quarter earnings season kicks into full gear. Banking behemoths JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup are on deck, as well as health-care giant UnitedHealth
The March consumer price index came in cooler than expected, showing a rise of 0.1% in March. Economists polled by Dow Jones were expecting CPI to rise by 0.2% month over month.
The report could impact the Federal Reserve's rate decision come May. It may also cement the case for a stop to the central bank's rate-hiking regime, even though CPI was still up 5% year over year.
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's March policy meeting are also due out Wednesday, and slated to offer further clues into the mindset behind the central bank's 25 basis point hike in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse and the turmoil that rattled the broader banking sector.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury gained a bit, lowering yields to 3.42% from Tuesday's 3.43%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices improved 96 cents to $82.49 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices shone brighter $1.10 to $2,020.10 U.S. an ounce.