Nasdaq climbed and the S&P 500 dipped, but both indexes notched their second straight quarterly gains, as a softer-than-anticipated inflation reading cooled expectations that Federal Reserve policymakers would hike rates in October ▻ ↧ S&P 500 dips, Nasdaq higher after data shows moderate inflation rise Nasdaq climbed on Wednesday and the S&P 500 dipped, but both indexes notched their second straight quarterly gains, as a softer-than-anticipated inflation reading cooled expectations that Federal Reserve policymakers ​would hike rates in October.