Dow Jones Drops Over 400 Points Amid Oil Price Volatility

The major averages were lower near noon, with the Dow dropping over 400 points as traders weigh shifting oil prices and a key inflation report. Markets are trading cautiously amid volatile energy prices and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.Oil prices, which spiked above $100 and briefly approached $120 earlier in the week amid fears of disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, have retreated significantly and are now trading below $90 after a coordinated release of emergency reserves. The International Energy Agency has agreed to release roughly 400M barrels from global strategic stockpiles in an effort to stabilize energy markets following the conflict-driven supply shock.U.S. forces sunk a number of Iranian ships, including 16 minelayers, on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that a bulk carrier reported their vessel being hit by an unknown projectile near the Strait of Hormuz and two other incidents were also reported on Wednesday morning. Such developments have reinforced the fragility of global energy supply routes and kept risk sentiment unstable.Traders are also reacting to inflation data that showed consumer prices rising in February. The consumer price index was up 0.3% on a month-over-month basis and up 2.4% compared to last year, both of which matched consensus.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:The International Energy Agency members have agreed to releasedue to war in the Middle EastOraclereportedand provided an upbeat outlook for Q4Nvidia$2B in Nebiusas part of a strategic partnershipCampbell'sreportedand cut its FY26 guidanceCintasUniFirstfor $310 per share in cash and stock2. WALL STREET CALLS:Niketo Overweight at Barclays on operational progressJPMorganOracle, sees better risk/reward post selloffOptimum Communicationsto Market Perform at Raymond JamesYextto Neutral at Roth CapitalWells Fargo sees "too much risk,"of Harley-Davidsonwith an Underweight rating3. AROUND THE WEB:MasterCardhas launched a new Crypto Partner Program that brings together more than 85 companies from across the digital asset and payments industries, an effort to link blockchain technology more directly with the infrastructure that underpins global commerce, CoinDesk saysEli Lillyplans to invest $3B in China over the next decade, the drugmaker said in a Chinese-language statement on Wednesday, Reuters saysPlayboyhas named Phillip Picardi as chief brand officer and editor in chief as the publisher seeks to reestablish relevance in the modern era, Adweek reportsDue to the ongoing Qatar LNG shutdown, Shellhas declared force majeure on its liquefied natural gas contracts with some of its clients in Asia, Bloomberg saysAMDCEO Lisa Su will meet with SamsungChairman Jay Lee in South Korea to discuss cooperation on securing supplies of high-bandwidth memory to use in AI chipsets, Reuters reports4. MOVERS:Ocugengains after Oppenheimerof the stock with an Outperform ratingAunaincreases in New York afterand providing guidance for FY26Velo3Dhigher after CEO Arun Jeldi acquired afrom an existing debt holder and converted it into sharesKosmosfalls after announcing aHarmony Goldlower afterfor the first half of 20265. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Target Hospitality, with EPS and revenue beating consensusBrainswayand provided guidance for FY26Sprinklr, with CEO Rory Read commenting that the fourth quarter "capped a pivotal year in our transformation"Kamadaand reaffirms FY26 guidanceServe Roboticsand provided guidance for FY26INDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was down 0.86%, or 410.41, to 47,296.10, the Nasdaq was down 0.11%, or 23.89, to 22,673.22, and the S&P 500 was down 0.32%, or 20.89, to 6,759.91.