NEW YORK, New York  - U.S. stock markets ended Tuesday's session deep in negative territory, with all major indices posting substantial losses as selling pressure swept across sectors.

The Standard and Poor's 500 fell 64.99 points to close at 6,816.63, a decline of 0.94 percent for the broad-market index. Trading volume reached 3.467 billion shares as the benchmark fluctuated between a low of 6,710.42 and a high of 6,840.05 during the session.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered steeper losses in absolute terms, dropping 403.51 points to settle at 48,501.27. The blue-chip index slid 0.83 percent on heavy volume of 524.203 million shares. The Dow moved within a range of 47,626.85 on the downside and 48,695.36 at its peak.

Technology shares led the retreat, with the Nasdaq Composite falling 232.17 points to close at 22,516.69. The tech-heavy index underperformed its peers with a decline of 1.02 percent on volume of 7.647 billion shares.

The broad-based sell-off reflected growing investor concerns over the U.S./Israel attacks on Iran, including the assassination of its Supreme Leader. The attacks have plunged the Middle East into turmoil as Iran has hit back, targeting U.S. bases in Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait.

U.S. Dollar Surges Again in Tuesday Forex Trading

The US dollar put in a strong performance against major counterparts on Tuesday, making gains across the board

The euro lost traction against the greenback, with the EURUSD pair tumbling to 1.1617. The common currency finished the session down 0.60 percent against the dollar.

The British pound also lost ground, though more modestly. Sterling settled at 1.3361 against the dollar, recording a loss of 0.32 percent for the session.

The Japanese yen, typically viewed as a safe-haven asset, weakened slightly against the dollar. The USDJPY pair rose to 157.64, representing a 0.19 percent increase in the U.S. dollar. Similarly, the Swiss franc lost ground, with the USDCHF pair climbing to 0.7811, a gain of 0.31 percent for the dollar.

Commodity-linked currencies struggled against the greenback. The Australian dollar fell sharply, with AUDUSD dropping to 0.7043, a decline of 0.69 percent. The New Zealand dollar posted the steepest losses among the major pairs, sliding to 0.5891 against its US counterpart, down 0.76 percent.

The Canadian dollar held relatively steady. The USDCAD pair edged lower to 1.3668, a fractional decline of 0.03 percent for the US dollar, indicating slight strength in the loonie.

Global Stock Markets Record Steep Losses Tuesday, Israeli index however, surges again

Global stock markets closed out a turbulent Tuesday session with significant losses across most major Canadian, UK, European and Asian indices, while a few select bourses managed to post gains.

Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index posted the steepest losses among the major indices in North America, plunging 756.33 points to end the day at 33,784.94. The drop represented a decline of 2.19 percent on volume of 356.083 million shares, as resource and financial stocks came under significant pressure.

In London, the FTSE 100 tumbled to close at 10,484.13, shedding 295.98 points, which translates to a decline of 2.75 percent. The index fluctuated between a low of 10,406.14 and a high of 10,780.25 during the session.

European markets saw even steeper declines. Germany's DAX performance index plummeted by 847.35 points, or 3.44 percent, to settle at 23,790.65. France's CAC 40 index followed suit, dropping 290.48 points (3.46 percent) to end the day at 8,103.84. The broader Euro Stoxx 50 Index fell 215.20 points to 5,771.73, marking a loss of 3.59 percent, while the Euronext 100 Index declined by 56.67 points (3.12 percent) to close at 1,760.25. Belgium's BEL 20 fared slightly better, but still finished in the red, down 114.22 points, or 2.13 percent, at 5,252.00.

Asian markets painted a mixed but largely negative picture. Japan's Nikkei 225 saw heavy selling, plunging 1,778.19 points to 56,279.05, a drop of 3.06 percent. South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index was the hardest hit in the region, crashing 452.22 points, a massive decline of 7.24 percent, to close at 5,791.91. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased 291.77 points to 25,768.08, a dip of 1.12 percent, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 123.60 points (1.34 percent) to 9,077.30. The broader All Ordinaries index lost 133.40 points (1.41 percent), ending at 9,297.20.

In India, the S&P BSE Sensex dropped sharply by 1,048.34 points to settle at 80,238.85, a loss of 1.29 percent. Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index shed 771.44 points, closing at 34,323.65, down 2.20 percent. Other regional markets saw declines. Indonesia's IDX Composite fell 77.07 points (0.96 percent) to 7,939.77, while New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 dipped 36.44 points (0.27 percent) to 13,620.21.

Despite the global sell-off, a few indices managed to find positive ground. Singapore's STI Index bucked the trend, adding 25.79 points to finish at 4,916.65, a gain of 0.53 percent. Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI also rose, climbing 11.74 points to 1,711.95, an increase of 0.69 percent. The standout performer of the day was Israel's TA-125 index, which surged 193.59 points, or 4.75 percent, to close at 4,268.43. This was the  second stand-out day in a row for the Israeli index, which has now soared nearly 10 percent since the Israel-U.S. attack on Iran.

In Africa, Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index fell 966.70 points, a decline of 2.03 percent, ending the session at 46,725.80.

Trading data was also available for China's SSE Composite Index, which closed at 4,122.68, down 59.92 points, or 1.43 percent.

The volatile session reflected ongoing investor uncertainty regarding global economic growth and monetary policy outlooks.

(This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence).

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Monday 2 March 2026 | Wall Street withstands shock of Iran attacks, Israeli shares soar | Big News Network.com