By William Meyer, consultant in stock markets – Eurasia Business News, March 20, 2026. Article no 2057
U.S. stocks and bonds slid on Friday after the Pentagon sent three more warships and a new deployment of marines to the region, increasing fears of long energy crisis and escalating war in the Middle East.
Wall Street’s stock markets closed deep in the red on Friday, with oil sustaining higher prices even as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the country is helping to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The benchmark S&P 500 (SP500) ended -1.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite (COMP:IND) finished -2%, and the blue-chip Dow (DJI) closed -1%.
Week-to-date, the indexes were -2%, -2.1%, and -2.1%, respectively.
All three indexes are near their correction territories. Meanwhile, the Russell 2000 (IWM) has officially entered a correction, falling 10.3% from its January 2022 closing high.
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Over in the bond market, yields were sharply higher on Friday as traders reassessed the near-term path of monetary policy following the Federal Reserve’s latest decision to hold rates steady.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield (US10Y) was 14 basis points higher at 4.39%, while the 2-year Treasury yield (US2Y) rose 10 basis points to 3.90%.
“All equity indices were red on the week”, said the investor Swann Collins.
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Crude oil futures (CL1:COM) were higher at $97.9 on Friday, while Brent futures (CO1:COM) were at $112.1 per barrel.
Gold was around 4,490 USD per troy ounce, down 3.41% on the day.
Meanwhile, silver is looking to end the week with a nearly 14% loss, its biggest decline since the blowoff top in January.
Silver was about 68.96 USD per troy ounce, according to a major market data provider that tracks CFDs on the benchmark silver price, noting a 5% drop from the previous day.
In Europe, stock markets tumbled, marking a third consecutive weekly loss due to deepening Middle East conflict, rising inflation fears, and surging bond yields. The STOXX 600 dropped 1.8%, while major indices like Milan (Piazza Affari) fell 2%, impacted by Brent crude flirting with $110 a barrel and renewed rate hike bets.
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