Stock Market Update Thursday March 12, 2026
- Mar 12
- 2 min read
Stock Market Update Thursday March 12, 2026. The S&P 500 fell 1.5% today, failing to recover as it usually does and closing at its lowest point of the day. Oil prices heavily influenced the market today, steadily rising back towards $100 per barrel. Equity markets largely reacted to geopolitical news and the resulting changes in energy markets. The continued rise in oil prices is causing concern about the wider economic impact, as consistently high energy prices could negatively affect global growth and increase inflation.
Crude oil remains the main focus of the market. After briefly dropping into the $70s on Tuesday, prices have steadily recovered and are now approaching $100 again. While still lower than Sunday night's initial surge, crude oil prices are nearing the highs seen earlier in the week following Monday's news. Currently, crude oil is trading just above $96 per barrel.
Sector Performance
Sector performance reflected the macro backdrop. Energy stocks outperformed alongside the move in crude, while technology, industrials, financials, and other rate-sensitive sectors came under pressure. After Hours: Adobe (ADBE) traded lower by roughly 6% in after-hours trading following its earnings release.
Equities
Score Board:
S&P 500 (SPY): -1.5%
Nasdaq 100 (QQQ): -1.7%
Russell 2000 (IWM): -2.1%
Away From Stocks: The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) increased to 99.72, and the 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.27%. Typically, when oil prices increase significantly, the dollar and Treasury yields also tend to rise. Tomorrow morning's economic data release will be an important indicator for interest rates. The VIX volatility index closed above 27, nearing this week's highest levels after spiking above 30 on Monday.
Our investment approach is disciplined and long-only. We do not engage in short selling. In our long-term portfolio, we focus exclusively on high-quality companies with a demonstrated history of operational excellence and consistent shareholder value creation. However, in our short-term speculative portfolio, some stocks we post may be driven by other factors, such as notable options flow, proprietary algorithms and seasonality. We rely on our proprietary algorithms to identify high-probability entry points, whether to initiate new positions or to strategically add to existing holdings.
Want to read more?
Subscribe to algotradealert.com to keep reading this exclusive post.