The S&P 500 was headed for its 42 record close of the year on Thursday, pushed higher by a surge in stocks of companies that make materials used to support manufacturing. The S&P 500 was up 19 points, or 0.3%, near 5,741, at last check.

Today, though, it was an inflation update that Wall Street was centered on. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Personal Consumption and Expenditures (PCE) Price Index increased by 0.1% in August from the month prior and was up 2.2% on an annual basis. Both figures were lower than what was seen in July.

U.S. stock indexes are drifting around their records as hopes hold that the economy can pull off the feat of getting painfully high inflation under control without a recession