Wall Street 'fear gauge' flashes red as stocks extend selloff

ARTICLE SUMMARY - Here's a summary of the article in 4 key points, highlighting quotes from Jim Carroll of Ballast Rock Private Wealth:

1. Wall Street's Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), known as the "fear gauge," jumped to an eight-month high of 60.13 on Monday, reflecting heightened investor anxiety over President Trump's tariff policies.

2. Jim Carroll, portfolio manager at Ballast Rock Private Wealth, stated: "The tariff episode has definitely rocketed VIX into panic territory" and questioned "when we recover and how quickly."

3. The S&P 500 approached bear market territory before recovering slightly following a CNBC report about a potential 90-day tariff pause for countries except China.

4. Carroll predicted a longer volatility period this time: "Tariff resolution is likely to be protracted, so I don't think we see the rapid collapse of volatility that happened last August," contrasting with previous market episodes where volatility quickly subsided.