Market Jitters as Inflation Surges and Jobs Data Disappoints

U.S. stocks dropped following disappointing jobs data and rising inflation expectations, fueling concerns over Federal Reserve rate cuts. Meanwhile, rumors of President Trump's potential reciprocal tariffs added to market volatility. Expedia rose sharply on strong Q4 results, while Amazon lagged due to weak cloud service performance.

U.S. stocks faltered as weak nonfarm payroll numbers and soaring inflation expectations cast doubt on future Federal Reserve rate cuts. Market analysts pointed to these factors as major contributors to investor uncertainty.

In a complicating twist, news emerged that President Donald Trump might announce reciprocal tariffs imminently, adding to the stock market's volatility. Consumer sentiment hit a low not seen in seven months, reflecting broader economic unease.

Amidst this backdrop, stock indices faced declines. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all suffered losses, while certain stocks like Expedia gained on strong earnings reports. However, major players such as Amazon saw stock drops due to underperformance in key areas like cloud computing.

(With inputs from agencies.)