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Wall Street's main indexes hit an over one-week low on Wednesday, as a hotter-than-anticipated inflation reading added to concerns that the Federal Reserve would not cut interest rates anytime soon. U.S. consumer prices increased more than expected in January, reinforcing the Federal Reserve's message that it was in no rush to resume cutting interest rates amid growing uncertainty over the economy. "It's now calling into question not only whether or not the Fed will cut in the second half of this year ... but now it puts on the table potentially the next move even being one to the upside for rates," said Alex Coffey, senior trading strategist at Charles Schwab.

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President Donald Trump is taking additional action to upset the world trade system, with plans to sign an order as soon as Wednesday that would require that U.S. tariffs on imports match the tax rates charged by other countries. “It’s time to be reciprocal,” Trump told reporters earlier this week. As Trump has unleashed a series of tariffs after being in power for less than a month, he has fully taken ownership of the path of the U.S. economy.

(Reuters) -Oil prices fell 1% on Wednesday, ending three days of gains, as industry sources pointed to rising U.S. crude stockpiles and hawkish remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell that signalled slower rate cuts this year. Brent futures were down 77 cents or 1% at $76.23 a barrel by 1230 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped 88 cents or 1.20% to $72.44 a barrel. "Oil prices resumed their downtrend as the macro environment weighed on sentiment, with Jerome Powell indicating that the U.S. Fed was not in a rush to lower rates," said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of research at Onyx Capital Group.

U.S. inflation accelerated last month as the cost of groceries, gasoline and rents rose, a disappointment for families and businesses struggling with higher costs and likely underscoring the Federal Reserve's resolve to delay further interest rate cuts. The consumer price index increased 3% in January from a year ago, Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed, up from 2.9% the previous month. The figures show that inflation has remained stubbornly above the Fed's 2% target for roughly the past six months, after it fell steadily for about a year and a half.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank will not launch its own digital currency while he is in charge of the central bank.

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