It has struggled to rise in August after six straight months of gains on concerns about the pace of economic growth and as fears of higher inflation overshadowed a stellar corporate earnings season. World stocks also eased from all-time highs after Federal Reserve Vice Chair Richard Clarida, a major architect of the Fed's new policy strategy, said on Wednesday he felt the conditions for raising interest rates could be met by the end of 2022. Earnings reports continued to pour in, with shares in Electronic Arts Inc EA.O rising 3.6% after it forecast current-quarter adjusted sales above estimates.