Stocks opened higher Friday following the January jobs report but swung lower after the latest consumer sentiment data showed inflation worries are rising. President Donald Trump's promises for retaliatory tariffs only elevated investors' anxiety.
Ahead of the opening bell, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the U.S. added 143,000 jobs in January – less than the 169,000 economists expected. Still, payroll figures for both November and December were upwardly revised and the unemployment rate ticked lower to 4.0% from 4.1%.
