NASDAQ:PTEN 16 December 2025

March 21, 2026, 8:09 AM EDT. Wall Street ended Friday lower amid rising geopolitical tensions and inflation concerns stemming from the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The S&P 500 fell 1.51%, marking its lowest point in six months, while the Nasdaq and Dow Jones dropped 2.01% and 0.96%, respectively, all logging their fourth consecutive weekly losses. Elevated oil prices and expectations of sustained Federal Reserve interest rate hikes are weighing on market sentiment. With indexes below key technical levels and trading volumes elevated due to triple witching, analysts predict continued selling pressure and volatility on Monday unless tensions ease or oil prices retreat. Major tech stocks like Nvidia and Tesla also saw declines over 3%, signaling cautious investor positioning.