{"id":12698,"date":"2026-03-06T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hazelbakerfinancial.com\/weekly-market-performance-march-6-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:00:00","slug":"weekly-market-performance-march-6-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisors3.bradcable.com\/hazelbakerfinancial\/weekly-market-performance-march-6-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Market Performance \u2014 March 6, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LPL Research’s Latest Blog Posts<\/a><\/p>\n

Last Updated:\u00a0

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of March 2, 2026.\u00a0<\/b>Capital markets faced a challenging start to March as geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran, rising oil prices, and renewed inflation concerns pressured global equities and bonds. While U.S. stocks showed some signs of resilience with multiple daily gains and losses off session lows, both domestic and international markets\u00a0ultimately declined\u00a0amid energy supply fears and shifting rate\u2011cut expectations. Fixed income struggled alongside rising Treasury yields, and commodities\u00a0\u2014\u00a0especially crude oil\u00a0\u2014\u00a0surged on\u00a0supply disruption risks.\u00a0Gold\u00a0failed to\u00a0draw much of a haven bid, while the U.S. dollar advanced.<\/p>\n

Stock Index Performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Index<\/b><\/td>\nWeek-Ending<\/b><\/td>\nOne Month<\/b><\/td>\nYear to Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S&P 500<\/b><\/td>\n-1.75%<\/td>\n-2.51%<\/td>\n-1.27%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dow Jones Industrial<\/b><\/td>\n-2.89%<\/td>\n-5.09%<\/td>\n-1.04%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nasdaq Composite<\/b><\/td>\n-0.59%<\/td>\n-2.16%<\/td>\n-3.05%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Russell 2000<\/b><\/td>\n-3.75%<\/td>\n-5.12%<\/td>\n2.09%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MSCI EAFE<\/b><\/td>\n-6.53%<\/td>\n-4.01%<\/td>\n2.57%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MSCI EM<\/b><\/td>\n-8.06%<\/td>\n-4.22%<\/td>\n5.16%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

S&P 500 Index Sectors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Sector<\/b><\/td>\nWeek-Ending<\/b><\/td>\nOne Month<\/b><\/td>\nYear to Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Materials<\/b><\/td>\n-7.00%<\/td>\n-2.71%<\/td>\n9.40%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Utilities<\/b><\/td>\n-1.72%<\/td>\n7.79%<\/td>\n9.40%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Industrials<\/b><\/td>\n-3.81%<\/td>\n-1.71%<\/td>\n9.70%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Consumer Staples<\/b><\/td>\n-5.10%<\/td>\n-3.46%<\/td>\n10.06%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Real Estate<\/b><\/td>\n-2.14%<\/td>\n2.37%<\/td>\n6.80%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Health Care<\/b><\/td>\n-4.57%<\/td>\n-3.16%<\/td>\n-1.49%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Financials<\/b><\/td>\n-1.85%<\/td>\n-7.01%<\/td>\n-8.08%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Consumer Discretionary<\/b><\/td>\n-1.08%<\/td>\n-1.96%<\/td>\n-4.85%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Information Technology<\/b><\/td>\n0.70%<\/td>\n-1.98%<\/td>\n-4.95%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Communication Services<\/b><\/td>\n-1.88%<\/td>\n-2.68%<\/td>\n-1.62%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Energy<\/b><\/td>\n1.45%<\/td>\n5.78%<\/td>\n26.21%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Fixed Income and Commodities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Indexes and Commodities<\/b><\/td>\nWeek-Ending<\/b><\/td>\nOne Month<\/b><\/td>\nYear to Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate<\/b><\/td>\n-0.86%<\/td>\n0.48%<\/td>\n0.87%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bloomberg Credit<\/b><\/td>\n-0.74%<\/td>\n0.29%<\/td>\n0.72%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bloomberg Munis<\/b><\/td>\n-0.71%<\/td>\n0.22%<\/td>\n1.47%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bloomberg High Yield<\/b><\/td>\n-0.09%<\/td>\n-0.02%<\/td>\n0.60%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oil<\/b><\/td>\n36.50%<\/td>\n43.95%<\/td>\n59.32%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Natural Gas<\/b><\/td>\n10.74%<\/td>\n-7.48%<\/td>\n-14.11%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gold<\/b><\/td>\n-2.24%<\/td>\n3.95%<\/td>\n19.47%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Silver<\/b><\/td>\n-10.00%<\/td>\n8.44%<\/td>\n17.78%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: LPL Research, Bloomberg 3\/6\/26 @3:04 p.m. ET
\nDisclosures: Indexes are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly.<\/i><\/p>\n

U.S. and International Equities<\/h2>\n

U.S. Equities:\u00a0<\/b>Equities opened the new month on a cautious note as investors took some risk off the table in response to geopolitical developments in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran. After a\u00a0fairly muted\u00a0initial reaction\u00a0and rising two out of five days this week, major equity averages\u00a0succumbed to\u00a0downside pressure\u00a0as\u00a0missile and drone strikes over the weekend continued\u00a0through\u00a0the workweek, with the main headwind\u00a0for\u00a0stocks broadly stemming from inflation concerns as crude oil prices spiked\u00a0as a result of\u00a0the\u00a0conflict effectively closing the\u00a0Strait of Hormuz.\u00a0However, investors showed some relative resilience amid\u00a0a few\u00a0bright spots in the headlines.\u00a0Highlights included Washington stating its intent to protect\u00a0via naval escorts\u00a0and\u00a0provide\u00a0insurance support to\u00a0oil tankers in the\u00a0Strait to aid the flow of oil\u00a0shipments, as well as reports (albeit unverified) of Iran contacting U.S. authorities and President Trump\u2019s late-week remarks that Iran wants to make a deal.\u00a0An\u00a0improving\u00a0ISM services index and easing price pressures were also among bright spots,\u00a0and\u00a0a rise in Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cut bets following a weaker than expected payrolls print did little to directionally sway markets.<\/p>\n

On the earnings front, a few high-profile names delivered quarterly reports this week, including Target (TGT) offering\u00a0an upbeat forecast,\u00a0as well as\u00a0chipmaker\u00a0and index heavyweight Broadcom (AVGO)\u00a0posting\u00a0strong semiconductor revenue projections.\u00a0Energy led gains, followed by technology despite volatile trading Thursday on reports that Washington\u00a0is considering chip export restrictions.<\/p>\n

International Equities:\u00a0<\/b>Following an all-time high last Friday, investors of\u00a0European equities\u00a0also pulled away from riskier pockets of the markets, leaving the STOXX 600\u00a0sharply lower as the energy-sensitive region digested the impact\u00a0of rising oil prices.\u00a0Market pricing for a 2026 rate hike from the European Central Bank (ECB) also dented investor sentiment. In corporate news, Dutch chipmaker ASM posted better than expected fourth quarter orders.<\/p>\n

Asian markets also closed lower, broadly weighed down by a stronger dollar in addition to the oil-driven headwind.\u00a0Like much of the globe, energy supply jitters and geopolitical worries were the primary market drivers this week\u00a0that left South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan sharply lower.\u00a0Greater China\u00a0was a relative outperformer,\u00a0with\u00a0shares\u00a0receiving\u00a0a boost from homegrown tech enthusiasm after the National People\u2019s Congress (NPC)\u00a0indicated\u00a0more support for technological innovations and breakthroughs\u00a0as well as easing concerns over the sector\u2019s profitability and improved valuations after underperforming to start the year.<\/p>\n

Fixed Income, Currency, and Commodity Markets<\/h2>\n

Fixed Income: <\/b>Core bonds, measured by the Bloomberg Aggregate\u00a0Index\u00a0traded\u00a0lower\u00a0as U.S. Treasury yields moved higher over the last five days.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the decline in Treasury yields was driven in part by concerns that rapid AI adoption could slow economic growth through labor displacement. While those growth concerns have not gone away, the recent rise in inflation expectations has mostly reversed that yield move.\u00a0Ongoing tensions in Iran continue to support higher oil prices, pushing near\u2011term inflation expectations higher; the\u00a0two\u2011year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) breakeven has risen above 3% for the first time since last April.\u00a0Those\u00a0near\u2011term inflation concerns\u00a0drove\u00a0the\u00a0two\u2011year Treasury yield to its highest level since last November.\u00a0Fed\u00a0rate\u2011cut expectations\u00a0also\u00a0continue to decline, with markets now pricing in\u00a0fewer\u00a0than two cuts\u00a0later this year \u2014 down from expectations of three cuts just a few weeks ago.\u00a0Higher inflation expectations are also pressuring global bond yields and reducing central bank easing expectations, with markets now pricing in\u00a0more than\u00a0a full\u00a0rate hike from the European Central Bank later this year.\u00a0Fed Governor Chris Waller noted\u00a0Friday\u00a0morning that if the oil shock proves temporary, the Fed will\u00a0likely look\u00a0through the recent rise in prices \u2014 suggesting markets may be overestimating the reduction in rate\u2011cut prospects.<\/p>\n

Corporate credit markets\u00a0remain\u00a0stable, with investment\u2011grade and high\u2011yield\u00a0spreads narrowing\u00a0slightly this week.\u00a0Spreads on CCC\u2011rated bonds have also tightened,\u00a0indicating\u00a0that bond\u2011market concerns\u00a0remain\u00a0centered on inflation rather than slowing economic growth.\u00a0Taken together, rising inflation expectations and persistent\u00a0artificial intelligence\u2011related growth concerns argue for continued caution and support our view that it is still too early to add rate exposure.<\/p>\n

Commodities and Currencies: <\/b>The broader commodities complex\u00a0traded sharply higher this week,\u00a0with the energy complex top of mind amid the conflict in Iran. Oil prices\u00a0surged with the North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude prices rallying 36%\u00a0to around $91\u00a0per barrel\u00a0and the London-traded global benchmark Brent crude\u00a0adding\u00a027% to over $92\u00a0per barrel. The oil\u00a0spike was\u00a0largely driven\u00a0by the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz sparking concerns of a global energy crunch. The strait sees\u00a0roughly 20%\u00a0of the global oil supply pass through its waters, or\u00a0roughly 20\u00a0million barrels of oil\u00a0and an\u00a0additional\u00a05 million in\u00a0product\u00a0per day.\u00a0Crude oil gains were\u00a0exacerbated\u00a0to close the week\u00a0on reports of production cuts and potential export halts.\u00a0Elsewhere, gold prices traded lower and silver also dropped\u00a0as haven bids were\u00a0very limited\u00a0with strength in the dollar\u00a0and\u00a0forced\u00a0deleveraging\u00a0mostly\u00a0to blame. The\u00a0U.S.\u00a0Dollar\u00a0Index\u00a0added over 1%\u00a0on the week while\u00a0foreign\u00a0currencies with the worst net energy trade balances\u00a0underperformed even further.<\/p>\n

Economic Weekly Roundup<\/h2>\n

Strikes Played a Partial Role in the Negative Print. <\/b>Strikes at a major healthcare company\u00a0impacted\u00a0February\u2019s payroll report released Friday. Even with\u00a0last month’s broad-based declines, total payrolls still grew\u00a0roughly 34,000\u00a0year\u00a0to date.<\/p>\n