Weekly Market Bullets

for the week ending 3/6/2026

• US Equity Markets fell last week, as sharply higher energy prices given the situation in Iran and poor Payroll data weighed on sentiment. The S&P 500 dropped 2.0% for the week and is now down 1.5% for the year. The Nasdaq was down 1.2% for the week to bring its losses for the year to down 3.7%, while the Russell 2000 (small cap stocks) tumbled 4.1% for the week but remains up 1.8% for the year.

• Global Equity Markets dropped sharply last week, as the spreading conflict in Iran and the Middle East led to profit-taking. Developed Markets declined 5.3% for the week and are now up 3.4% for the year. Emerging Markets fell 7.2% for the week to bring their gains for the year to 7.1%.

• Payrolls for February posted an unexpected decline. After an unexpectedly strong January, Payroll gains for February came in at a loss of 92K jobs, well below expectations of +50K and down from +126K in January. At the same time, the Unemployment Rate moved up to 4.4% from 4.3% in January, also worse than expected.

• Oil prices spiked to a 3-year high amid supply disruption concerns, leading to inflation fears. The Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed off last week, leading the price of a barrel of oil to rise a stunning 35.6% to close the week at $91.27, its highest level since 2023. The surge in prices has now raised concerns about whether the Fed can lower rates if indeed higher energy prices lead to higher inflation. The yield on the US 10-Year Treasury closed the week at 4.15% vs. 3.96% the prior week as investors are increasingly uneasy about inflation.

Market Data

for the week ending 3/6/2026