** S&P 500 .SPX drops 1.5% as auto tariffs and economic growth concerns weigh .N

** Dow .DJI slips 1%, and Nasdaq Composite .IXIC declines 2.6%

** The DJI has been flirting with correction, while Dow Transports .DJT have been flirting with bear

** And S&P 500 index vs its 200-DMA: moth and flame?

** Though, if new highs are in the cards, NYSE composite .NYA might just have the upper hand

** When it comes to investment advisor sentiment: Has the worst of the storm passed? This as individual investor bears have been on quite a run

** U.S. 10-Year Treasury yield US10YT=RR around 4.25%. Benchmark yield deflates about 12 basis points on Fri as PCE, tariffs fuel stagflation worries, on track to finish flat on the week US/

** Most sectors hit a bump: Technology and Communication Services lose axles, while Consumer Staples enjoys steadiest ride; Growth .IGX off to a rough start vs value .IVX this year

** Tech .SPLRCT craters 3.7%. Oracle ORCL.N falls on report of U.S. defense dept slashing software contracts

Advanced Micro Devices AMD.O down after Jefferies downgrades to 'hold' on limited traction, rising competition

Semiconductor index .SOX stumbles 6%

** Financials .SPSY dip 0.2%. Though W.R. Berkley WRB.N top SPX performer, up ~13%, after commercial insurer confirms Mitsui Sumitomo to purchase 15% of WRB shares

** Consumer Discretionary .SPLRCD flat. Tesla TSLA.O rallies on Mon on Trump's potential tariff leeway, adds to gains on Thurs as analysts see EV maker's tariff exposure limited. TSLA snaps nine-week losing streak with 6% advance

And while auto parts retailers O'Reilly Automotive ORLY.O and AutoZone AZO.N hit record highs after Trump's planned tariffs, automakers General Motors GM.N and Ford F.N skid

Sportswear maker Lululemon LULU.O slides after bleak annual forecasts, blaming slow consumer spending and tariffs

** Consumer Staples .SPLRCS advance 1.6%. Dollar Tree DLTR.O rises on $1bln sale of struggling Family Dollar business, and soars after multiple Wall Street PT hikes

** Meanwhile, Nvidia-backed NVDA.O CoreWeave CRWV.O falls in debut after disappointing IPO, and GameStop GME.N climbs on video game retailer's bitcoin bet, but tumbles after $1.3 bln convertible debt unveil

** SPX performance YTD:

(Lance Tupper and Terence Gabriel are Reuters market analysts. The views expressed are their own)

((lance.tupper@tr.com ; terence.gabriel@tr.com))