Equities slumped for the fifth consecutive week, with the Nasdaq Composite index falling 3.2% and the S&P 500 declining 2.1%. The Nasdaq officially entered correction territory, a 10% or greater drop from a recent high; the index is down 12.6% from its record close in late October.

Last week started brightly on hopes of a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, but those hopes faded as the two countries still seem far from a deal that would end the war, pushing yields up and equities down, as the price of oil stayed elevated.

Equities markets will be closed for the Good Friday holiday, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its all-important jobs report Friday, perhaps offering some diversion from Middle East headlines.

Other economic releases will include the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index on Tuesday, and the Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index on Wednesday.

Fourth-quarter earnings season wraps up this week, with reports from Nike and McCormick on Tuesday, and Conagra Brands and Lamb Weston Holdings on Wednesday.

Monday 3/30

Fermi and Phreesia report quarterly results.

Tuesday 3/31

FactSet Research Systems, McCormick, Nike, and PVH release earnings.

S&P Cotality releases its Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index for January. Home prices rose 1.3% last year, the slowest annual rate of growth since July 2023. Chicago and New York both saw prices rise more than 5% to lead all metro markets. The laggards included Tampa and Denver, where prices fell more than 2%.

The Conference Board releases its Consumer Confidence Index for March. Consensus estimate is for a reading of 88, about three points lower than in February.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Economists forecast 6.8 million job openings on the last business day of February, 100,000 fewer than in January. There is currently 0.9 job opening for every unemployed person.

Wednesday 4/1

Conagra Brands and Lamb Weston Holdings announce quarterly results.

The Census Bureau reports retail and food service sales for February. Consensus estimate is for a 0.4% month-over-month increase, after a 0.2% decline in January. Excluding autos, retail sales are seen rising 0.3% compared to a flat reading previously.

The Institute for Supply Management releases its Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index for March. The consensus call is for a 52.3 reading, roughly even with the February figure. This year, the index has registered its two highest readings since late 2022, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector.

Thursday 4/2

Acuity reports second-quarter fiscal-2026 earnings.

Friday 4/3

Equity markets are closed in observance of Good Friday. The bond market closes early, at 12 p.m. Eastern time.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the jobs report for March. Economists forecast a 55,000 increase in nonfarm payrolls, following a loss of 92,000 jobs in February. The unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 4.4%. Jobs growth has stalled, with the average monthly gain at 13,000 over the past year, compared to 89,333 a month over the comparable period a year earlier. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate remains below the historical average in part due to a shrinking labor pool.