Wall Street surged to fresh all-time highs Friday as a softer-than-expected inflation reading strengthened market conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 25 basis points at its Oct. 30 policy meeting.
The annual headline inflation came in at 3% in September 2025, slightly up from August’s 2.9% pace but below expectations of 3.1%. When excluding food and energy items, core inflation was cooler-than-expected, falling from 3.1% to 3% year-over-year.
