Following consumer confidence data that fell below expectations, the New York Stock Exchange ended the day with a volatile performance. The Dow Jones index rose by 0.37 percent to 43,621.16 points at the close, while the S&P 500 index fell by 0.47 percent to 5,955.25 points, and the Nasdaq index dipped by 1.35 percent to 19,026.39 points. President Donald Trump’s statement that tariffs on Canada and Mexico were progressing “as planned,” heightened global market concerns about a trade war. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index increased by 3.9 percent in December, showing a continued upward trend in home prices. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell by 7 points to 98.3 in February, marking the lowest level since June 2023 and the largest monthly decline since August 2021. Consumer’s 12-month inflation expectations rose from 5.2 percent to 6 percent in February, with analysts noting that increased inflation worries contributed to the drop in consumer confidence. In the stock market, shares of chip sector companies declined after new restrictions were announced on chip exports from the U.S. to China: Nvidia fell by 3 percent, Broadcom by 2.6 percent, AMD by 3.8 percent, and Lam Research by 3.6 percent, while Tesla suffered a loss of over 8 percent due to a sharp drop in European sales. Trump Media & Technology also stood out with a 7.5 percent decline. The U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yield fell by 9 basis points to 4.30 percent, hitting its lowest level since December 2023. Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin emphasized that inflation has not yet returned to the targeted 2 percent level, but progress has been made, suggesting that maintaining a tight monetary policy for a while longer would be sensible. It is noted that this could shape expectations regarding the timing of a Fed interest rate cut.