3 min readNew YorkMar 27, 2026 08:04 AM IST
First published on: Mar 27, 2026 at 02:30 AM IST
Stocks fell sharply Thursday, and oil prices rose as doubt took over again from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran.
The S&P 500 slumped 1.7% for its worst day since January and is back on track for a fifth straight losing week. That stretches back to before the Iran war began, and it would be the longest such losing streak in nearly four years.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 469 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.4% to fall more than 10% below its all-time high set early this year. That’s a steep enough drop that professional investors have a name for it: a “correction.”
Stock markets likewise tumbled across much of Asia and Europe. They’re the latest flip – flops for financial markets in a week that began with big hopes after President Donald Trump said productive talks had taken place about ending the war. But Iran denied direct talks were underway and then dismissed a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire that was delivered via Pakistan.
On Thursday, the fighting continued, and thousands more U.S. troops neared the region. Iran, meanwhile, tightened its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz. It may be creating something like a “toll booth” for tankers to get past the narrow waterway, which typically sees a fifth of the world’s oil exit the Persian Gulf through it to customers worldwide.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 4.8% to settle at $101.89 as hopes dimmed for a potential return to normal for the strait. That’s up from roughly $70 before the war began. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 4.6% to $94.48 per barrel.
“They better get serious soon, before it is too late,” Trump said on his social media network Thursday morning about Iran’s negotiators, “because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”
Just minutes after Wall Street finished its trading for the day, Trump softened his talk a bit. He said he was delaying his threat to “obliterate” Iranian power plants to April 6, allowing more time for talks.
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well.”
After that, oil prices trimmed some of their gains, and Brent crude fell back toward $100 per barrel. Treasury yields also pared their big jumps in the bond market.
High Treasury yields and disruption in the bond market were big factors that Trump named a year ago when he backed off his initial threats for global tariffs made on “Liberation Day.” The moves caused critics to allege Trump always chickens out, or “TACO,” if financial markets show enough pain.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped as high as 4.43% Thursday from 4.33% late Wednesday and from just 3.97% before the war started. That’s a significant leap for the bond market, and it’s already sent rates higher for mortgages and other kinds of loans for U.S. households and businesses, which slows the economy.
A report on Thursday morning said slightly more U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, though the number is still low compared with historical figures.
The S&P 500 slumped 1.7% for its worst day since January and is back on track for a fifth straight losing week. That stretches back to before the Iran war began, and it would be the longest such losing streak in nearly four years.(Photo: AP) 
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