The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that the S&P 500 and Toronto ended modestly higher on Wednesday as data showing a moderate increase in U.S. consumer prices in August cemented expectations that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged in September. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says that consumer-related stocks led gains in Canada thanks to strong earnings from two of the country's retailers. Data showed U.S. consumer prices increased by the most in 14 months in August as gasoline prices surged, but the annual rise in underlying inflation was the smallest in nearly two years. Stickiness in services inflation has kept alive prospects of a November increase. Interest-rate traders now see a 97-per-cent chance of the Fed holding rates in September, and a 61-per-cent likelihood of a pause in November. "Rate hikes are not completely off the table for the rest of the year," said Victoria Fernandez, chief market strategist at Crossmark Global Investment. The S&P/TSX composite ended at 20,278.94, up 55.86 points helped by a gain of 5.9 per cent for Dollarama after beating quarterly sales estimates. North West Co. also posted strong second-quarter results; its shares rose 14.7 per cent.