US Stock Market Update: Dow Jones Drops 260 Points as Tech Stocks Decline

US Stock Market Closing Update (March 18): The US stock market faced a decline on Tuesday, March 18, with major indices such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite all seeing drops. This marked the end of a two-day winning streak, mainly driven by losses in technology, communication services, and consumer discretionary sectors.

Investors were positioned cautiously as they awaited a significant Federal Reserve meeting set for the following day. There is widespread anticipation that Fed Chair Jerome Powell will announce a pause in interest rate adjustments, and many are looking for insights into the central bank’s latest economic forecasts.

Major players in the market faced notable declines, with heavyweight stocks like NVIDIA, IBM, and Tesla experiencing losses between 2% and 5%. These developments are contributing to an overall sense of unease among investors regarding potential economic ramifications stemming from various trade tensions.

Market Performance on March 18

Here’s how the key indices performed at the end of Tuesday's trading session:

• DJIA: down 260.3 points, or 0.6%, closing at 41,581.3
• S&P 500: down 60.5 points, or 1.1%, closing at 5,614.7
• Nasdaq Composite: down 304.6 points, or 1.7%, closing at 17,504.1
• Russell 2000: down 18.4 points, or 0.9%, closing at 2,049.9

Dow Gainers and Losers

Among the stocks listed in the Dow index, most were in the negative territory except for a handful. Below are some of the Dow’s notable gainers and losers:

Stock	Current Price ($)	Change (%)
NVIDIA Corp	115.4	-3.4
IBM	247.0	-2.4
Walmart Inc	85.6	-2.1
UnitedHealth Group Inc	503.8	1.0
Chevron Corp	160.8	1.3
Verizon Communications Inc	44.2	1.3

Next, let’s examine some of the gains and losses from the Nasdaq index, which is heavily influenced by technology stocks.

Nasdaq Gainers and Losers

Here are some results from prominent stocks within the Nasdaq:

Stock	Current Price ($)	Change (%)
Applovin Corp	278.8	-9.1
Tesla Inc	225.3	-5.3
Trade Desk Inc	53.6	-5.2
MercadoLibre Inc	2002.8	-4.9
Palantir Technologies Inc	83.9	-4.0
MicroStrategy	283.2	-3.8
Meta Platforms Inc	582.4	-3.7
Amgen Inc	318.7	0.5
Workday Inc	251.9	0.5
Comcast Corp	36.0	0.7
Intel Corp	25.9	0.9
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC	85.6	1.0
Monster Beverage Corp	56.8	1.1
Diamondback Energy Inc	155.0	1.3

Market fluctuations reflect ongoing investor sentiment and uncertainty. Always consider the broader economic context.

market, stocks, technology