U.S. Stocks Close Lower for Fourth Straight Week

Major U.S. stock indexes closed lower for a fourth consecutive week, marking a sustained downturn amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and persistent inflation concerns. The declines, which erased gains from earlier in the year, reflected investor unease over surging oil prices and the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on interest rates. The week ended on March 20 with broad losses across benchmarks, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.11 percent to 45,577, the S&P 500 dropped 1.9 percent to 6,506, the Nasdaq Composite declined 2.07 percent, and the Russell 2000 shed 1.68 percent, entering correction territory after a 2.7 percent drop on Friday.

The primary catalyst was the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, which disrupted energy supplies and drove oil prices sharply higher. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed above 98 a barrel by week's end, up from around 64 before the hostilities intensified in early March, while Brent crude reached 107 a barrel. Retaliatory strikes targeted key infrastructure, including Iran's South Pars gas field and Qatar's Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility, the world's largest. The Strait of Hormuz,...