Markets Slide on Fading Iran Ceasefire Hopes and Rising Oil Prices
– S&P 500: Declined 1.77%, closing near 6,450 after opening around 6,556, with roughly $1 trillion in market value erased amid renewed geopolitical uncertainty.
– Dow Jones Industrial Average: Fell 1%, shedding over 400 points from Wednesday’s close near 46,429.
– Nasdaq Composite: Dropped sharply by over 2%, hit hardest by selling in technology and growth stocks as risk appetite waned. The Nasdaq lost approximately $8–10 billion in market capitalization.
– Russell 2000: Declined 1.5%, reflecting pressure on smaller-cap companies sensitive to economic slowdown fears.
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– VIX (Volatility Index): Rose above 28, signaling heightened investor anxiety over the stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations.
– Oil Prices: Brent crude climbed above $107 per barrel (up over 4%), while WTI also surged on supply disruption concerns from the Middle East conflict, reversing Wednesday’s easing.
The reversal followed Wednesday’s gains driven by optimism around the Trump administration’s 15-point ceasefire proposal, which Iran has rejected.
The S&P 500 has now lost $3.5 trillion since the Iran War began.
Meta stock, falls over -7% after a “landmark” court case ruled that the company failed to adequately warn or protect young users.
