On Tuesday, April 30th, the U.S. stock markets closed sharply lower, influenced by economic reports indicating increasing labor costs and falling consumer confidence, coinciding with a critical Federal Reserve meeting to determine interest rate policies. The Labor Department reported a 1.2% increase in the employment cost index for Q1, surpassing the expected 1%. Additionally, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index rose 7.3% year-over-year in February. Every sector of the S&P 500 ended in the red, with energy, information technology, and consumer discretionary stocks suffering the largest declines. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.49% to close at 37,815.92. The S&P 500 was down 1.57%, ending the day at 5,035.69, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 2.04%, finishing the ...