The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was down 483.1500 (-1.0512%) points today, descending to 45,476.9600 as market participants processed a hotter-than-expected Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report. This key inflation metric, released on this Friday, March 27th, 2026, suggested that price pressures remain stubborn, leading traders to recalibrate expectations for a Federal Reserve pivot. Dow Futures (YM=F) mirrored this sentiment, as it was down 391.0000 (-0.8458%) points today. The narrative of "higher-for-longer" interest rates weighed heavily on growth sectors, overshadowing recent optimistic earnings reports and causing a significant pullback in high-multiple stocks.
Leading the decline were heavyweights in the payments and technology sectors. Visa (V) was down 3.20% today, while healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group (UNH) was down 3.18% today. Consumer discretionary stocks also struggled, with Amazon (AMZN) was down 3.14% today and Salesforce (CRM) was down 2.72% today. Other notable laggards included Cisco Systems (CSCO), which was down 2.54% today, and JPMorgan Chase (JPM), which was down 2.10% today. The tech leaders Microsoft (MSFT) and Nvidia (NVDA) were also caught in the crosshairs, as they was down 1.54% and 0.98% today, respectively.
Despite the broader downturn, defensive and energy-related equities managed to gain ground. Chevron (CVX) was up 1.93% today, supported by a rise in energy prices. Pharmaceutical stalwarts Merck & Co. (MRK) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) was up 1.32% and 0.94% today, respectively. Retail giant Walmart (WMT) was up 1.23% today, reflecting a rotation into value-oriented consumer staples. Additionally, 3M (MMM) was up 0.99% today and Coca-Cola (KO) was up 0.93% today, as investors sought safety in companies with reliable dividends and stable cash flows during this period of heightened global macroeconomic volatility.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.