1136 ET - Investors need to keep a "cautious and risk-off posture," Northlight's Chris Zaccarelli says, as benign economic data is countered by the prospect of unpredictable tariffs. "We have added utilities companies, gold and more defensive international companies" he says, referring to stocks of consumer staples, pharmaceuticals and the like. The defensive move is taking place over the past two months, he says. Inflation data this week showed price increases above the Fed's target, but not accelerating. Tariffs could change that. "Clearly this is going to be a much more volatile year," Zaccarelli says. U.S. stock indexes fall, led by a 1.5% drop in the Nasdaq. (paulo.trevisani@wsj.com; @ptrevisani)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 13, 2025 11:37 ET (15:37 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.