Consumer inflation fears spike in February as tariff worries hit sentiment
1. Consumer inflation expectations jumped to 4.3%, highest since November 2023. 2. Tariffs from Trump raised concerns over price pass-throughs to consumers. 3. Consumer sentiment index fell to 67.8, a significant one-month drop. 4. Lower optimism reflected perceptions of negative tariff policy impact. 5. Stocks declined immediately after the report, with Dow down over 100 points.