The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was down 739.42 (-1.5594%) points today, Friday, March 13th, 2026, as the index fell to 46,677.85. The primary narrative driving this sharp decline was a hotter-than-expected Producer Price Index (PPI) report, which reignited fears that the Federal Reserve may delay anticipated interest rate cuts. While Dow Futures (YM=F) was up 205.00 (0.4388%) points today in early trading, the spot market faced intense selling pressure as Treasury yields surged, weighing heavily on capital-intensive sectors.
The Energy sector emerged as a rare leader in a sea of red. Chevron (CVX) was the top performer, as it was up 3.17% to $196.97 on the back of tightening global supply. Defensive plays also saw modest inflows; Walmart (WMT) was up 1.67% to $125.33, while Salesforce (CRM) was up 1.62% to $199.28. Other gainers included The Travelers Companies (TRV), which was up 0.87%, and Coca-Cola (KO), which was up 0.05%.
In contrast, Financials and Industrials suffered the heaviest losses. Goldman Sachs (GS) was down 4.40% to $787.52, leading the decline as investors fretted over narrowing net interest margins. Boeing (BA) was down 4.34% to $204.76 following renewed production concerns, while 3M (MMM) was down 3.91% to $149.10. Other significant laggards included Home Depot (HD), which was down 3.24%, and UnitedHealth Group (UNH), which was down 2.89%. The broad-based sell-off also impacted Apple (AAPL), which was down 1.86%, and Nvidia (NVDA), which was down 1.68%.
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.