Dow closes down 700 points as global oil prices top $100 a barrel

ABC News Radio14 hours ago

71 2 minutes read

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on March 10, 2026 in New York City. Stocks continued to slide at the opening due to the war in Iran and oil prices hovering around $90 per barrel. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down more than 700 points on Thursday as global oil prices spiked above $100 a barrel.

The Dow plunged 730 points, or 1.5%, while the S&P 500 dropped 1.5%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 1.7%.

A selloff hit Wall Street as traders feared economic fallout from a potentially prolonged bout of elevated oil prices amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Oil markets are suffering a major supply shortage due to an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a trading route that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the global oil supply.

Global crude oil prices hovered at about $101 per barrel on Thursday, which marked a 9% increase from a day earlier. Oil prices have soared 49% over the past month.

Prices at the pump have also soared. U.S. gasoline prices jumped to $3.59 on Thursday from $2.94 a month earlier, AAA data showed.

Indexes fell worldwide on Thursday as the jump in oil prices rippled through global markets. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.2%, while pan-European STOXX 600 index slipped 0.5%.

In recent days, President Donald Trump has voiced mixed messages about how the White House may address oil prices and related cost woes.

Trump has indicated the war may end soon, but he has also threatened to escalate the conflict if Iran continues to impede tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World,” Trump said.

In a social media post on Thursday morning, Trump downplayed the rising oil prices, saying they would financially benefit the U.S.

In his first purported message, Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly installed supreme leader of Iran, on Thursday addressed the importance of the Strait of Hormuz.

Khamenei said the closure of the shipping route must be sustained as a “tool to pressure the enemy,” according to CNBC.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.