Stock Market Update 3/27/26

US stocks continue to fall on Friday (3/27) as a sweeping sell off continues, setting the S&P 500 up for its worst monthly performance since 2022. This decline continues despite the President’s efforts to pause the war in Iran in order to allow for negotiations to commence. The President extended the deadline to "obliterate" Iranian infrastructure to April 6th, provided they allow oil tankers to resume passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The market is currently "pricing in" the risk of this deadline passing without a deal. With all this happening, the S&P will close lower for its fifth straight week making a record for its longest losing streak in four years. 

Despite the struggles facing the rest of the market, crude prices continued to climb as they reached $104 per barrel. Drivers across the nation are facing trouble at the pumps as these heightened prices have pulled gas prices up to over five dollars a barrel in many places. Many are frustrated with the administration for the increased cost of living they have experienced recently. This all comes after the EU’s record breaking release of 400-412 million barrels of oil earlier this March. 

It will be difficult for the market to recover in the coming weeks if the war in Iran continues to worry investors. When compounded with the worries of an AI bubble feeding a sell off in the tech-heavy NASDAQ, especially those suffered by the Mag 7, investors are facing a long road ahead.