Stock market news live updates: Stocks fall sharply as Wall Street gears up for inflation data

U.S. stocks plunged Thursday as angst grew on Wall Street over key inflation data due out Friday. The S&P 500 tumbled 2.4%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 640 points, or 1.9%. The Nasdaq Composite slid 2.8.%. The greater share of losses came in the final hour of trading as selling accelerated into the…