How major US stock indexes fared Monday 3/16/2026

A drop in oil prices helped send the U.S. stock market to its best day since the war in Iran began.

The S&P 500 climbed 1% Monday for its biggest gain in five weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.2%.

The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude fell toward $93 after topping $102 in the morning. The fall in oil prices not only helped boost stocks of companies with big fuel bills but also helped Treasury yields ease in the bond market.

On Monday:

The S&P 500 rose 67.19 points, or 1%, to 6,699.38.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 387.94 points, or 0.8, to 46,946.41.

The Nasdaq composite rose 268.82 points, or 1.2%, to 22,374.18.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 23.24 points, or 0.9% to 2,503.29.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is down 146.12 points, or 2.1%.

The Dow is down 1,116.88 points, or 2.3%.

The Nasdaq is down 867.81 points, or 3.7%.

The Russell 2000 is up 21.39 points, or 0.9%.