The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was down 289.24 (-0.61%) points today, Wednesday, March 11th, 2026, to close at 47,417.27, while Dow Futures (YM=F) was down 348.00 (-0.73%) points. Sentiment was weighed down by an intensifying naval conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. Despite a record release of 400 million barrels of oil from the IEA, crude surged, with WTI climbing 4% to $87.25. This geopolitical volatility overshadowed stable inflation data as investors focused on fuel supply disruptions, causing the Dow to diverge from a flatter Nasdaq.
Higher energy costs boosted oil majors. Chevron (CVX) led gainers, rising 2.26% to $190.49 as crude hit multi-month highs. Other gainers included UnitedHealth Group (UNH), up 0.82%, and Cisco Systems (CSCO), which rose 0.57%. Defensive names like Amgen (AMGN) and Nvidia (NVDA) saw modest gains of 0.30% and 0.24% respectively, as traders sought safety.
Conversely, rising costs sent blue-chip sectors into the red. Sherwin-Williams (SHW) was the worst performer, dropping 2.13% to $323.16. Consumer giants struggled, with Procter & Gamble (PG) falling 1.77% and Home Depot (HD) sliding 1.61%. Financials and payment processors were also hit; Visa (V) declined 1.67% and Goldman Sachs (GS) lost 1.53%, as the market's "pain threshold" was tested by the regional conflict.
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.