A bounce in the S&P 500 on Friday afternoon wasn’t enough to pull the index out of the red for the month.
The stock market lost some of its shine in February, ending lower for the month after the Trump administration’s policy priorities and weak consumer sentiment made investors uneasy about the economy.
Stocks had climbed in the aftermath of President Trump’s election win, as traders geared up for lighter regulation and tax cuts — anticipating they would add up to accelerating growth. But that rally has stalled more recently as anxiety about the inflationary impact of new tariffs began to grow. A slump in technology stocks this week also weighed on the broad market.
