Stocks Fall, S&P 500 Eyes Worst Month In Almost Two Years, Oil Rallies: What's Driving Markets Monday?

Risk sentiment remains under pressure at the start of the week on Wall Street, with tech-heavy indexes sliding while commodities advance, as traders fear a new wave of price pressures following the upcoming tariffs announcement.

The S&P 500 experienced a turbulent morning session, first hitting its lowest level in over six months before clawing back some ground and trimming losses. Nevertheless, the benchmark equity index is on track for its worst month since September 2022, having fallen 7% in March.

Tech stocks remained the weakest link, with the Nasdaq 100 down 1.1% as semiconductor names weighed on the broader sector. The iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) dropped 1.9% and is down 11.9% month-to-date — also marking its worst month since September 2022.

President Donald Trump's threats toward Iran over the weekend pushed crude oil prices up by 3.5% for the session, marking the biggest single-day gain since October.

Energy-related stocks outperformed and are on pace to log their fourth consecutive positive month, now up 8.5% year-to-date.

Meanwhile, gold prices continued to smash record highs, with bullion surging over 1% to $3,115 per ounce. Quarterly gains have reached 18% — the strongest three-month rally since 2009.

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) inched up 1.2% to $83,400, fighting to avoid a second consecutive monthly decline.

Monday’s Performance In Major U.S. Indices, ETFs

According to Benzinga Pro data:

Monday’s Stock Movers

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