Wall Street's Wild Ride: A Bumpy Week for Investors

Wall Street is having a tough week. The stock market is down, and investors are feeling the pressure. The S&P 500, a key indicator of the market's health, dropped by 1% in midday trading. This comes after a rollercoaster week where the index swung up and down by at least 1% each day. Things are looking grim, with this week shaping up to be the worst since 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average wasn't faring much better, down by 340 points, or 0. 8%. The Nasdaq composite was down by 1. 4%. All eyes were on the job market. The U. S. Labor Department reported that employers added 151, 000 jobs last month. This was slightly below what economists expected, but it was still an improvement from January's hiring numbers. The stock market has been struggling lately. The S&P 500 has dropped more than 7% from its all-time high set last month. This drop is due to worries that the U. S. economy's growth may be slowing. Recent surveys show that businesses and households are feeling uncertain about the future. This uncertainty is partly due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Economists are divided on whether this uncertainty is causing real economic pain. The jobs report for February had some concerning details. The number of people working part-time who would rather be full-time rose by 10% from January. This could mean more trouble ahead. Economists are worried that the job market might face challenges in the coming months. The White House's back-and-forth on tariffs has added to the uncertainty. Businesses are unsure of what to expect, which could lead them to freeze hiring. Meanwhile, households are bracing for higher inflation due to tariffs, which is weakening their confidence and could lead to less spending. This would further slow down the economy. The jobs report caused bond yields to drop. The 10-year Treasury yield fell to 4. 23% from 4. 28% late Thursday. It's been sinking since January, when it was nearing 4. 80%. This drop shows that investors are expecting the U. S. economy to grow more slowly. The two-year Treasury note yield also continued its descent. This suggests that traders expect the Federal Reserve to cut its main interest rate at least two or three times this year to support the slowing economy. On Wall Street, Hewlett Packard Enterprises slumped 16. 2% after reporting a profit for the latest quarter that fell short of analysts' expectations. The company's CEO acknowledged that they could have done better. Costco also had a rough day, sinking 7. 2% after reporting a weaker profit than expected. Walgreens Boots Alliance had a better day, rallying 6. 9% after agreeing to be acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. This buyout could give the struggling chain more flexibility to make changes without worrying about Wall Street's reaction. Broadcom rose 3. 7% after delivering stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The chip company also gave a forecast for upcoming revenue that topped analysts' expectations, thanks in part to strong demand for its artificial-intelligence offerings. The stock market abroad also saw some changes. German stocks dropped 1. 8% after the government showed a willingness to allow for much more borrowing. In Hong Kong and Shanghai, indexes fell 0. 6% and 0. 3% respectively, after China reported slower-than-expected trade for January and February. South Korea’s Kospi fell 0. 5% after a court ordered the release of the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol from jail.