The Dow Jones Industrial Average early Tuesday was facing heavy selling pressure, putting the blue-chip index on pace for its worst one-day drop in over 10 weeks, FactSet data show. The Dow was down by about 530 points, or 1.5%, at 34,226 Tuesday, which would represent its steepest slide since Feb. 25 when it fell 1.8%. Rising fears about inflation were being blamed for the renewed selling in the stock market, a day after the Dow hit a milestone at 35,000. Investors are betting that inflation is likely to climb steeply in coming months, driven by pent-up spending as well as supply bottlenecks. The broader market was also being sold as were international equities markets. The S&P 500 index was down 1.6% at 4,123, while the Nasdaq Composite Index was off 1.6% at 13,183, at last check.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.