Published: March 13, 2026 at 11:08 a.m. ET
Any bit of good news, or at least an easing of disruption, can change a stock-market trend. But even with some signs of life for stock prices early Friday, 80% of stocks in the S&P 500 were down since the close on Feb. 27 — the day before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
From the close on Feb. 27, the S&P 500 SPX was down 2.6% early on Friday, even as it was up 0.5% that morning. Nine of the 11 sectors of the S&P 500 were down from Feb. 27. The two exceptions were the energy sector, which was up 2.7% during the nearly two-week period, and the information-technology sector, which was up 0.4%. All price changes in this article exclude dividends.
