Inflation accelerated in January, rising 3% on an annual basis, indicating that the Federal Reserve's push to drive inflation down to a 2% annual rate has stalled out, at least temporarily. The Consumer Price Index was forecast to rise 2.

The S&P 500 ended down on Wednesday after a hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation reading added to worries that the Federal Reserve would not cut interest rates anytime soon, while CVS Health and Gilead Sciences rallied after upbeat quarterly reports.

Inflation picked up for a fourth straight month in January amid another rise in in food and energy costs, possibly setting the stage for a year of halting progress in the battle to slow consumer price increases as President Donald Trump rolls out myriad import tariffs.