Market Stumbles Toward Correction as Middle East Conflict and Interest Rate Fears Weigh on Wall Street

U.S. equity markets faced a grueling session on Friday, March 20, 2026, as investors grappled with the dual pressures of an intensifying conflict in the Middle East and a Federal Reserve that appears increasingly unlikely to cut interest rates in the near term. The major indexes are currently on track for their fourth consecutive weekly loss, marking the longest losing streak for Wall Street in over a year. Sentiment remains fragile as the "hawkish pause" from earlier this week continues to reverberate thro ...