Wall Street sees worst drop since Iran war began, as Nasdaq sinks 10% below

Stocks fell sharply on Thursday and oil prices rose, as doubt took over from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

The S&P 500 slumped 1.7 per cent for its worst day since January and is back on track for a fifth-straight losing week. That stretches back to before the war began on Feb. 28, and it would be the longest such losing streak in nearly four years.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 469 points, or one per cent, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.4 per cent to fall more than 10 per cent below its all-time high set early this year. That’s a steep enough drop that professional investors have a name for it: a “correction.”

Stock markets likewise tumbled across much of Asia and Europe. They’re the latest flip-flops for financial markets in a week that began with big hopes after U.S. President Donald Trump said productive talks had taken place about ending the war. But Iran denied direct talks were underway and then dismissed a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire that was delivered via Pakistan.

On Thursday, the fighting continued, and thousands more U.S. troops neared the region. Iran, meanwhile, tightened its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

It may be creating something like a “toll booth” for tankers to get past the narrow waterway, which typically sees a fifth of the world’s oil exit the Persian Gulf through it to customers worldwide.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 4.8 per cent to settle at $101.89 US, as hopes dimmed for a potential return to normal for the strait. That’s up from roughly $70 before the war began. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 4.6 per cent to $94.48 per barrel.

Trump softens threats

“They better get serious soon, before it is too late,” Trump said on his social media network Thursday morning about Iran’s negotiators, “because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”

Just minutes after Wall Street finished its trading for the day, Trump softened his talk a bit. He said he was delaying his threat to “obliterate” Iranian power plants to April 6, allowing more time for talks.

“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well.”

After that, oil prices trimmed some of their gains, and Brent crude fell back toward $100 per barrel. Treasury yields also pared their big jumps in the bond market.

High Treasury yields and disruption in the bond market were big factors that Trump named a year ago when he backed off his initial threats for global tariffs made on “Liberation Day.” The moves caused critics to allege Trump always chickens out, or “TACO,” if financial markets show enough pain.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped as high as 4.43 per cent on Thursday…