For the week of Monday, March 16, to Friday, March 20, 2026, the stock market was heavily driven by the ongoing geopolitical conflict in the Middle East, fluctuating oil prices, and rising bond yields, which pushed major indices toward a fourth consecutive week of losses. Despite a brief rally on Monday, markets sank for the rest of the week, with the S&P 500 hitting its lowest close of 2026 on Friday. The Russell 2000 has not fallen into correction territory. Technology stocks fell as investors rotated away from growth and cyclical risks, leading to a down week for the Nasdaq. The market was dominated by fears that the conflict involving Iran would keep interest rates higher for longer and disrupt global energy supplies.

The stock market experienced a volatile week ending March 13, 2026, marked by a third consecutive weekly decline, driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, surging oil prices, and disappointing U.S. employment data. The major indexes, including the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq and the Russell, fell as investors feared rising inflation and slower economic growth. The S&P 500 broke below key technical support levels, closing below 6,700 on Thursday, and the Nasdaq dipped below its 200-day moving average. The VIX opened the week trading at 35--just a monster increase in volatility.

The stock market experienced a volatile week ending March 6, 2026, driven by a "perfect storm" of surging oil prices due to the escalating Iran conflict and a surprisingly weak February jobs report. The major market indices all posted significant weekly losses, with the Dow having its worst week since April 2025. Oil prices saw their biggest weekly gain since 1983, with WTI crude topping $90 per barrel amid concerns about supply disruptions and U.S./Israeli strikes on Iran. The February employment report showed a shocking loss of 92,000 nonfarm payrolls, far below expectations of a gain, with the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.4%.

The Dow suffered its biggest weekly drop since mid-November, falling 1.3%. One of the reasons for this week's drop in the market was NVDA, which despite reporting strong Q4 results, dropped significantly, signaling potential fatigue in the AI trade and skepticism over the longevity of high-cost, mega-cap capital expenditures. Market weakness was further driven a hotter-than-expected PPI inflation report, which showed a 0.8% monthly gain, the biggest jump since July 2025, and a 3.6% core year-over-year increase, raising concerns about stubborn inflation and a more hawkish Fed. President Trump announced that a decision had been made about Iran, hinting that military action was immiment. That attack began a few hours later. How will that affect oil and the energy sector next week?

For the week ending February 20, 2026, the stock market was dominated by a major Supreme Court ruling on tariffs, continued anxiety over Artificial Intelligence (AI) sustainability, and high-stakes anticipation for upcoming Nvidia earnings. Despite initial volatility, the major indexes closed higher, with the Nasdaq snapping a five-week losing streak. But the biggest news of the week came on Friday as the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that tariffs imposed by President Trump on most U.S. trading partners in 2025 were illegal, deciding he exceeded his authority...

The stock market experienced a volatile week ending February 13, 2026, with major indices closing in negative territory, driven by intense fears of A.I. disruption, which impacted wealth management, trucking, and real estate. And the defensive rotation continued as investors moved toward safety, with consumer staples, energy and utilities leading gains. This flight to safety put major pressure on the big megacap stocks, with some of the Mag 7, like NVDA and AAPL suffering losses this week.

The stock market experienced a highly volatile week ending, characterized by a massive AI-driven tech sell-off earlier in the week followed by a pretty dramatic rebound on Friday. In fact, Friday's rally saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average close above the 50,000 level for the first time. The strength in the Dow was driven by a rotation into defensive and cyclical sectors (such as the industrial, energy, and financial sectors) as investors shifted out of tech.

The stock market experienced a volatile week characterized by a mix of record-highs early in the week, a subsequent retreat, and a focus on the start of fourth-quarter earnings season. We also had some geopolitical tensions as well as some policy-related volatility. While the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq posted slight weekly losses, small-cap stocks showed considerable strength.