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[ad_1] Shoppers may get an early present this holiday season: falling prices in many gift-giving categories. On Thursday, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said deflation could be coming as general merchandise and key grocery items, such as eggs, chicken and seafood get cheaper. He said the retailer expects some of the stickier higher prices, such as the ones for pantry staples, to "start to deflate in the coming weeks and months," too. "In the U.S., we may be managing through a period of deflation in the months to come," he said on the company's Thursday earnings call. "And while that would put more unit pressure on us, we welcome it, because it's better for our customers." For more than a year, consumers have coped with inflation that peaked around four-decade highs and drove up the cost of nearly everything, including groceries, rent and utilities. But McMillon's comments echoed what the government and other retailers said earlier this week, o

[ad_1] U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday after the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge showed a stronger-than-expected increase in prices last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 364 points, or 1.1%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slid 1.4% and 2.0%, respectively. The Dow fell as much as 510 points, or 1.54%, earlier in the trading session. Boeing shares slipped more than 4% after the company temporarily halted delivery of its 787 Dreamliners over a fuselage issue. Shares of Microsoft and Home Depot also fell more than 1%. The major averages are headed for a losing week. The S&P 500 is down 2.9% and is set for its worst week since Dec. 9. The Dow is down nearly 3% this week and headed for its fourth straight losing week. The Nasdaq is 3.5% lower, and on pace for its second negative week in three. The core personal consumption expenditures price index , the Fed's preferred measurement of inflation, rose 0.6% in January and 4.7% from the p