On Friday, March 6th, 2026, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was down 784.67 (-1.61%) points today, currently trading at 47,954.74. The primary narrative driving this aggressive sell-off was the release of the February Jobs Report, which indicated a cooling labor market but persistently high average hourly earnings. This data fueled investor anxiety regarding potential stagflation and the Federal Reserve's upcoming interest rate decision. Dow Futures (YM=F) reflected this bearish sentiment, as they were down 251.00 (-0.52%) points today.
Amidst the volatility, a handful of blue-chip technology and energy stocks showed relative strength. Salesforce (CRM) was the standout performer, as it was up 4.77% to $201.39 following positive cloud sector sentiment. IBM (IBM) was up 2.78% to $256.55, while Microsoft (MSFT) was up 1.47% to $410.68. Energy giant Chevron (CVX) also gained ground, as it was up 2.00% to $189.90, and Amazon (AMZN) was up 1.08% to $218.94 as buyers sought safety in large-cap growth names.
Conversely, the financial and healthcare sectors faced steep declines due to shifting yield curves and recessionary fears. Goldman Sachs (GS) was down 3.60% to $835.46, leading the losers alongside Merck (MRK), which was down 3.56% to $116.07. Other notable laggards included Sherwin-Williams (SHW), which was down 3.51% to $335.45, and Amgen (AMGN), which was down 3.50% to $367.60. Caterpillar (CAT) also felt the weight of global economic concerns, as it was down 3.47% to $706.08, while Walmart (WMT) was down 3.25% to $123.31.
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.