By Caitlin McCabe

U.S. stocks fell further after Thursday's selloff, setting up the S&P 500 for its worst monthly performance since 2022.

The latest decline came despite President Trump's move to pause strikes on Iran's energy sector for another 10 days to allow time for negotiations.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid about 700 points as stock indexes dropped more than 1% Friday, extending a slump that sent the Nasdaq composite into correction territory. The S&P 500 is on pace to close lower for its fifth straight week, in what would be its longest weekly losing streak in nearly four years. The Dow is within a half-percentage point of joining Nasdaq in a correction, a drop of 10% or more from a recent peak.

Oil prices meanwhile resumed their climb, with Brent futures trading above $104 a barrel. Treasury yields were mixed and the dollar edged higher.

Despite Trump's pause on energy strikes, the Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give Trump more military options. Meanwhile, Iran turned back two China-owned container vessels from the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel mounted a broad attack that it said targeted Iran's weapons facilities.

Gold rose 2.7%, after dropping in 10 of the past 12 sessions.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 27, 2026 14:19 ET (18:19 GMT)

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