Wall Street Braces for Turmoil as Tariffs Loom

Wall Street's key stock indexes experienced declines as new data indicated a fall in U.S. factory orders, raising concerns regarding President Trump's tariffs. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all reported losses. Investors focus on economic data and looming tariff deadlines, predicting monetary policy changes by the Federal Reserve.

Wall Street's main stock indexes struggled on Monday, reversing premarket gains as data revealed a drop in new orders at U.S. factories for February. This has fueled concerns about the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on production.

An ISM survey indicated that while manufacturing remained stable, forward-looking new orders contracted significantly. At 10:18 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones fell 31.77 points, the S&P 500 lost 22.52 points, and the Nasdaq Composite was down by 145.65 points.

The technology sector was hit the hardest, marked by a 1.5% drop led by a 5% decline in Nvidia. Cyclical stocks also witnessed dips after the data released. Wall Street registered its first monthly decline of 2025 in February, as fears of rising inflation due to tariff policies took hold.