Wall St opens lower as Middle East tensions lift oil prices to US$100

Published Thu, Mar 12, 2026 · 09:41 PM

[NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes opened lower on Thursday (Mar 12) as oil prices surged to nearly US$100 a barrel, fanning inflation worries and forcing traders to dial back expectations of US interest rate cuts.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 174.7 points, or 0.37 per cent, at the open to 47,242.52. The S&P 500 fell 34.9 points, or 0.52 per cent, to 6,740.88​, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 189.5 points, or 0.83 per cent, to 22,526.585. REUTERS