Inflation Cools as AI Fears Shake Markets

Markets closed out the week balancing cooler inflation against renewed volatility in tech and AI. U.S. CPI rose 2.4% year-over-year in January, with core inflation falling to 2.5% — the lowest level since March 2021. While the report strengthens the case for potential Fed rate cuts, it follows a robust labor market update earlier in the week, keeping policy expectations finely balanced. Equities struggled, with the Nasdaq dropping 2% amid fresh AI disruption fears despite Anthropic raising $30 billion at …