Fears of a Fed rate rise, as well as tensions in Ukraine, send stocks down.

Wall Street is prepared for another another wild week of trading.

Stocks in the United States began lower on Monday as investors, already alarmed by expectations that the US Federal Reserve may raise interest rates rapidly, also kept a close eye on the impasse between Russia and the West over the Ukraine.

Wall Street has been suffering from a severe case of whipsawing in recent weeks as investors grapple with the unwinding of the Federal Reserve's cheap money policies, which helped to drive up the prices of stocks and homes during the coronavirus pandemic – but also contributed to consumer price inflation, which is currently running at a 40-year high.

To add to your concerns, consider the following: During an interview with business news network CNBC on Monday morning, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, James Bullard, expressed skepticism about the direction of interest rates in the future. Bullard remained steady in his prediction for a 100 basis point increase by the end of June.

Aside from the Federal Reserve, the current standoff between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine is also causing concern about the market's future direction.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell for the third day in a row. According to the latest available data, it was down 0.89 percent to 34,429.78 at 11:04 a.m. ET (16:04 GMT).

Stocks in the wider S&P 500 index, which measures the health of retirement and college savings accounts, were down 0.50 percent to 4,396.37 on Monday. The Nasdaq Composite Index, which is heavily weighted toward technology, gained 0.27 percent to close at 13,827.92.

Volatility has seized the stock market in the United States this year. The Nasdaq has dropped by 11.8 percent so far this year.

As of Monday morning, the CBOE Market Volatility Index, often known as the "fear gauge" of Wall Street, has risen to its highest level in more than three weeks.

Growth companies with large market capitalizations that have prospered since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020 have reached a brick wall on Wall Street.

In order to maintain up with the advances they've achieved in the previous two years, companies such as Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc., and Tesla Inc. are working hard. Meta Platforms Inc, the company that owns Facebook, had its stock price collapse by more than 20% last week after presenting its quarterly report.

A survey released last week revealed that the United States is experiencing growing pricing pressures despite attempts to rein down inflation. Consumer price inflation accelerated to a pace of 7.5 percent per year, the highest rate in more than 40 years. The consumer price index (CPI), which measures changes in the prices of a basket of goods and services on a monthly basis, climbed by 0.6 percent in January as compared to the previous month of December.

For the first time in years, investors and traders are relying on a half-point rate rise by the Federal Reserve at its meeting next month to bring down surging stock prices.

According to Goldman Sachs, the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates by a total of 25 basis points seven times in a row at each of its meetings in 2022. The earlier prediction called for five increases over the year.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES