Provided by Dow Jones
By Joe Wallace U.S. stocks edged down Monday, following a week in which concerns about inflation whipsawed markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 142 points, or 0.4%, after the opening bell. The S&P 500 dropped 0.4%, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 0.5%. With earnings season drawing to a close, investors remain focused on whether a recent jump in inflation will blow over or become entrenched. A protracted spell of faster growth in consumer prices could prompt the Federal Reserve to tighten monetary policy, potentially hurting stocks and other assets that have gained from low interest rates. Those concerns last week led the S&P 500 to post its biggest decline since late February, even after staging a rebound Friday. Highflying tech stocks have been particularly vulnerable to worries about inflation: The Nasdaq Composite has fallen for four straight weeks, its longest losing streak since