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Stock Markets/DownBack
[Published: Friday May 15 2026]

 Stock markets worldwide drop from records as worries about oil prices rattle the bond market

 
By STAN CHOE
 
NEW YORK, 15 May. - (ANA) - The U.S. stock market fell from its records Friday and joined a worldwide drop for stocks, as higher oil prices sent a shiver through the bond market. Stocks that had been caught up in the euphoria around artificial-intelligence technology led the way lower.
 
The S&P 500 fell 0.9% from its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 465 points, or 0.9%, with an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was down 1% from its own record.
 
Technology stocks tumbled in a sharp turnaround from their meteoric rises for much of the year, which had carried markets worldwide to records but also raised criticism that they had gone too far.
 
Nvidia, the stock that quickly became the face of the AI revolution, dropped 3% and was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500. It had come into the day with a gain of more than 26% for the year so far.
 
Micron Technology was another one of the heaviest weights on the market after falling 4.9%. It’s still up nearly 159% for the year so far.
 
“To us, it looks like markets have pushed into overbought territory,” according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management. He said the strong corporate profits and durable U.S. economy that launched U.S. stocks to records remain intact, but “the path is unlikely to be smooth. Periods like this call for discipline more than hope.”
 
In the meantime, rising oil prices are raising the pressure after already worsening inflation by more than economists had feared. The war with Iran is continuing, and the Strait of Hormuz remains shut to oil tankers, which is preventing them from delivering crude to customers worldwide and driving up oil’s price.
 
The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 3.3% to settle at $109.26 and is well above its level of roughly $70 from before the war.    - (ANA) -
 
AB/ANA/15 May 2026 - - -
 
 
 

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