Everywhere they look, stock investors see trouble ahead.Runaway inflation, and the interest rate increases meant to contain it, will make life harder for consumers. A severe Covid lockdown in China and the invasion of Ukraine are adding to disruptions in the flow of goods across borders, contributing to rising food and energy prices, and threatening corporate profits.On Wall Street in April, it all seemed to build to the same conclusion: The economy is about to take a hit.That fear led to the S&P 500’s worst monthly decline since the March 2020 panic over the coronavirus. The index, down 5.4 percent for the month through Th …
