'Tariffs are starting to bite': Latest inflation, jobs data sparks Wall Street concern over US economy

Stocks have continued to notch record highs this year as investors bet on a resilient economy and minimal fallout from tariff-driven inflation. But last week, both assumptions came under pressure.

It was a packed week for economic data, offering a more nuanced and, in some cases, sobering look at the state of the US economy. The week kicked off with signs of strain in the labor market: The hiring rate fell to a seven-month low, and the quits rate, a key measure of worker confidence, dropped to just 2%.

On Wednesday, GDP data showed the economy rebounded at a 3% annualized pace in the second quarter, recovering from a surprise Q1 contraction driven by a pre-tariff surge in imports. But economists cautioned that the headline growth masked underlying softness. Sales to private domestic purchasers, a key proxy for consumer and business demand, rose just 1.2%, the weakest pace since 2022.

Greg Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, called the rebound an “economic mirage,” adding that policy uncertainty, rising inflation pressures from tariffs, and tighter immigration constraints are starting to weigh more visibly on economic activity.

Then, after the Fed held interest rates steady, Thursday’s release of its preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, showed price increases accelerated in June as inflation remained above the Fed’s 2% target. Consumer spending also showed signs of strain as real personal spending rose just 0.1% in June following a revised 0.2% drop in May.

The week culminated in a disappointing July jobs report, which offered the clearest sign yet that the labor market may be cracking. The US added just 73,000 jobs, far short of the 104,000 forecast. Even more striking were sharp downward revisions to May and June, which erased a combined 258,000 jobs, the largest two-month downgrade since May 2020.

Taken in totality, last week’s data painted a picture of mounting economic pressure, with growing signs that households are beginning to feel the strain as the second half of the year gets underway.

“Tariffs are starting to bite,” EY’s Daco told Yahoo Finance. “They’re leading to higher inflationary pressures, which are curtailing consumer spending and prompting businesses to adopt more of a wait-and-see approach.”

Michael Pearce, deputy chief US economist at Oxford Economics, said the overall trend is becoming clearer: “The signs are that consumer spending is losing momentum.” He added that “as real income growth wanes, we expect an increasing drag on consumer spending, particularly on discretionary purchases and goods most exposed to tariff-driven price increases.”

While auto sales had been front-loaded earlier this year ahead of tariff implementation, Pearce pointed to renewed declines in tariff-sensitive categories like furniture. He noted that any short-term lift from early buying is now “mostly in the rear-view mirror,” and warned that consumers have yet to fully absorb the impact of tariff-driven shocks to income and purchasing power.

Adding to the pressure, trade tensions escalated as President Trump raised tariff rates on several US trading partners, including a surprise 39% levy on imports from Switzerland.

“There’s a repeated refrain that tariffs are not having an impact, and that assessment misses the mark,” Wells Fargo economists, led by Jay Bryson, said in the latest installment of Yahoo Finance’s Chartbook series.

“Consumer spending is not as sturdy as it was initially reported in the first quarter,” the team added. “With two months of data on hand for the second quarter, it is becoming increasingly clear that households are reducing their discretionary outlays.”

The strain is also beginning to show in corporate earnings.

“When you take a look at companies like Whirlpool, like P&G, they are being impacted by tariffs,” Michael Kantrowitz, chief investment strategist at Piper Sandler, told Yahoo Finance’s Opening Bid. “There seems to be a sort of bifurcation when it comes to how tariffs are impacting bottom lines. Those that are focused on products for consumers … And then you’ve got other companies, like Big Tech, that is sort of immune to the tariff situation.”

But even Big Tech is starting to feel the squeeze. Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook warned this week that the company expects a $1.1 billion tariff hit this quarter. Elsewhere, a slew of consumer-facing companies, including Shake Shack (SHAK), Canada Goose (GOOS), and snack maker Kellanova (K), have struggled this earnings season as price-sensitive shoppers pull back.

With contributing reporting from Yahoo Finance’s Josh Schafer.

Allie Canal is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @allie_canal, LinkedIn, and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com.

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