US stocks finished lower on Thursday after major banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley reported weaker-than-expected earnings. High inflation continued to weigh on sentiment: The US consumer price index surged to 9.1% in June, higher than the forecasted 8.8%.  Federal Reserve officials may now weigh a 1% interest rate hike when they meet later this month to combat searing inflation. Previously, market watchers had anticipated either a 0.5% or 0.75% rate increase. Here are this week’s top movers.  Alphabet slows hiring  On Tuesday, Alphabet revealed that it’s slowing down the pace of hiring and investments through 2023, ahead of the current economic headwinds. Moving forward, the Google parent is said to be focusing more on engineering and technical roles while becoming more entrepreneurial.  In the year-to-date, Alphabet’s share price has fallen 24%. Despite its desirable long-term operating performance, many are concerned about its ad revenue amid the...