S&P 500 posts worst week since September as Trump tariffs rattle markets

US stocks seesawed on Friday to cap a volatile week on Wall Street as investors digested a crucial monthly jobs report amid uncertainty driven by President Trump's trade policy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average  rose 0.5%. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, with the broad-based index posting its worst week since September. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite  gained 0.7% after closing in correction territory on Thursday.

US nonfarm-payrolls showed an added 151,000 jobs last month, slightly less than the 160,000 expected by economists, while the unemployment rate ticked up from 4% to 4.1%. The stakes were high for February's job report as stocks flounder amid fears of weakening economic growth. Downbeat economic data has boosted bets on interest rate cuts this year.

Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated on Friday that the central bank is not in a hurry to cut interest rates as policy uncertainty continues to weigh on markets and cloud the outlook for the US economy. His comments were among the last from Fed officials before their March 18-19 policy meeting.

Trade war worries are still keeping markets on edge. Trump paused tariffs on most goods from Mexico and Canada. Canada responded with a matching delay in its second wave of retaliatory duties, while Mexico has yet to directly react.