04:49 PM EDT, 03/27/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes fell this week as a failure to deliver a consistent message on how the Trump administration and Iran will reach a ceasefire deal sent government bond yields sharply higher, reflecting market concern that elevated crude oil prices will boost inflation.

* The S&P 500 closed at 6,368.74 on Friday versus 6,506.48 a week ago. The Nasdaq Composite stood at about 20,948.36, compared with 21,647.61 a week earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 45,166.64, versus 45,577.47 at the end of last week.

* Communication services, technology, and consumer cyclical were the worst-performing sectors this week, implying growth took a beating as expectations of monetary policy easing this year disappeared due to inflation concerns.

* The West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures approached $100 on Friday, from about $67 at the end of February.

* "The Hormuz closure quickly turned from a shipping disruption to a significant loss of global supply," Morgan Stanley said. "Despite offsets from bypass pipelines and strategic petroleum reserve releases, the market is short by a multiple of the peak-loss feared back in 2022." The firm does not see the energy market reverting to the pre-conflict levels anytime soon.

* The US 10-year yield traded at 4.43% late Friday, its highest since July 2025. The war in Iran will lead to a surge in inflation this year, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz pushes up prices for oil, gas, and other commodities, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Thursday.

* "If inflation were at the (Fed's) 2% target, I would feel more comfortable being patient, keeping monetary policy on hold and waiting to see if a hypothetical growth surge puts upward pressure on inflation," Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson said. "But if inflation is above 2% and has been for some time, I would be more cautious. I would be inclined to weight the possibility of overheating more heavily in determining appropriate policy."