U.S. stock markets are in a precarious place. Bargain hunters bid up a wide swath of growth equities during the first month of the year, but these same equities, on balance, found it hard to retain these monthly gains over the course of February.

The core issue at play is the uncertainty surrounding the future of inflation, U.S. interest rates, and the global economy. Under a best-case scenario, the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hiking policy will steadily tamp down consumer demand without sparking an economic recession. On the flip side, history has shown that a heavy-handed Federal Reserve can have decidedly negative impacts on the broader economy. 

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Source Fool.com