Dow Jones plunges in morning trading amid ongoing inflation fears

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged sharply on Friday in early morning trading, dropping 300 points as investor fears continued to be goosed by ongoing inflation concerns. 

The Dow went from roughly 33,150 at close of bell on Thursday to 32,800 by early afternoon on Friday, or just over 1.2% in declines. 

That drop comes after nearly two weeks of sustained declines at the Dow, which was at over 34,200 on Feb. 13 before beginning a long slump from which it has not recovered. 

That drop comes as the Federal Reserve's Consumer Price Index this week showed a 5.4% year-over-year increase for January, indicating that inflation remains high and could continue to increase, hitting consumers and denting stocks at the national level.