AExpert Speak

US stock indexes opened higher on Wednesday as technology and growth stocks rebounded, while weaker-than-expected private payrolls data and a slide in oil prices helped ease some worries about inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 36.28 points, or 0.11%, at the open to 31,827.15. The S&P 500 (.SPX) opened higher by 14.51 points, or 0.36%, at 4,000.67, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) gained 89.42 points, or 0.75%, to 11,972.56 at the opening bell.

The three main indexes are set for sharp monthly declines, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq down more than 4% after Fed Chair Jerome Powell's blunt and hawkish remarks on Friday about keeping monetary policy tight "for some time" quashed hopes of more modest rate hikes. Meanwhile, mixed economic data signaling easing price pressures and strong labor market has weighed on investors' mind heading into September, which is a typically a weak month for stock market returns.