US Recover to Close Mostly Flat
2026-03-02 21:02
By
Felipe Alarcon
1 min. read
US equities staged a strong recovery to close near the flatline on Monday, as a powerful "buy the dip" move erased the bulk of the morning’s steep losses.
The S&P 500 ended marginally lower, and the Dow lost 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite edged into positive territory after falling as much as 1.6% earlier in the session.
Investors pivoted back toward cash-rich tech leaders like Nvidia and Microsoft, which gained 2.9% and 1.5% respectively, betting on their resilience despite the Middle East conflict.
Defense and energy shares also provided a critical cushion, with Northrop Grumman jumping 6% and Exxon Mobil rising 1.1% as oil prices remained elevated following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
While the ISM Manufacturing price index’s jump to 70.5 reignited inflation worries and pushed Treasury yields higher, the market largely shook off the geopolitical shock.
Retail favorites like Palantir surged 5.8%.