U.S. stocks release worst slideshow on frustrating economic data in two months

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U.S. stocks fell the most in two months as sentiment among consumers and businesses has been lowered for a month.

The S&P 500 fell 1.7%, the worst slide for the Wall Street blue chip index since Dec. 18, when the Fed lowered interest rates but showed a slower monetary policy in 2025.

Technology-focused Nasdaq Composite has fallen 2.2% in its steepest decline since January 27, when large tech stocks were concerned about the advancement of Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek, making the The industry was shocked.

The sharp decline is due to a series of reports that the world’s largest economy faces challenges of borrowing costs and rising inflation rates. Trump’s tariffs have also begun to curb sentiment between consumers and businesses.

Wall Street swings interrupted a rally in U.S. stocks that sent the S&P 500 to a record record on Wednesday.

Stocks were boosted after Trump’s cuts in regulations and policies seeking to boost growth. However, there has been some urge to alleviate this enthusiasm recently due to the rise of tariffs, which are widely expected to increase inflation.

Sales of previously owned homes fell 4.9% in January as buyers continue to be high in mortgage rates and prices rise in most of the country, data released on Friday showed.

Meanwhile, the University of Michigan watched a closely watched consumer confidence in February and began sharply and sharply in January. The survey also shows that long-term inflation expectations have reached the highest levels since 1995.

“The short answer is that consumers are having problems,” said Steve Sosnick, chief economist at Interactive Broker.

In addition, a closely watched survey by S&P Global shows that the U.S. service sector activities have been signed for the first time in more than two years this month. Manufacturers noted that input costs have risen sharply due to price increases and wage pressures caused by tariffs.

Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said: “At the beginning of this year, the optimism seen in U.S. businesses have evaporated, replaced by increased uncertainty, business activity. Stagnation and price increases.”

Reflecting the breadth of Friday’s sell-off, about three-quarters of the S&P 500 shares fell, with the small-cap Russell 2000, including more domestic concentrated groups, down 2.9%.

Of the S&P 11 divisions, there are only consumer staples (this is a classic defensive performance). Consumer discretionary performance when growth is good is 2.8% of the worst performing.

Friday also marks the expiration date for a large number of stock options. Such sessions are often characterized by volatile stock price transfers.

As investors seek relative security of government debt, the sell-off is accompanied by rally in the treasury notes and emerges at the end of a week of ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.

The U.S. Treasury yield fell 0.08 percentage points in the benchmark 10-year period, compared with a two-week low of 4.43%.

Trump said earlier this week that he would introduce a 25% car import tax on April 2 and marked the prospect of imposing levies on imported semiconductors and drugs. The United States has previously said it would impose huge tariffs on Mexico and Canada’s largest trading partners.

The government has also been cutting thousands of workers from the federal workforce, and Trump has tested political nerves by peaceful negotiations with Russia to end the Ukrainian war and called President Vorodimie Zelensky a “dictator” .

Government bonds have also increased in Europe, driving yields to lower.

The Bund yield fell by 0.08 percentage points in the 10-year period, 2.45% ahead of the German federal election on Sunday, and polls show that the center-right Christian Democratic League will win.

Unlike their U.S. counterparts, the widespread volume of Europe’s largest stocks closed on Friday, although Germany’s DAX was slightly lower.

Other reports by Jennifer Hughes in New York