Maria Aspin

Stocks are hitting lots of negative milestones.

The Dow and the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell into what's known as correction territory, meaning they're down at least 10% from recent highs.

Meanwhile, the benchmark S&P 500 is on track to have its worst month in four years.

And a broadly watched volatility index, known as Wall Street's fear gauge,

spiked to its highest point since last April's tariffs chaos.

The longer the war continues, the more damage its oil shock can do to the broader economy.

President Trump's latest efforts to pause the war in Iran didn't appear to reassure investors.

Oil prices continued rising, stoking more fears of a prolonged energy crisis.

And a closely watched volatility index known as Wall Street's fear gauge headed higher,

indicating that investors are bracing for even more turmoil.

The Dow's sell-off means it's joined the tech-heavy Nasdaq in what's known as a correction, meaning they're each down at least 10% from recent highs.

Meanwhile, the benchmark S&P 500 has closed in the red for five consecutive weeks.

That's its worst losing streak in almost four years.

Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York.

President Trump's latest efforts to pause the war in Iran didn't appear to reassure investors.

Oil prices continued rising, stoking more fears of a prolonged energy crisis.

And a closely watched volatility index known as Wall Street's fear gauge headed higher,

indicating that investors are bracing for even more turmoil.

The Dow's sell-off means it's joined the tech-heavy Nasdaq in what's known as a correction, meaning they're each down at least 10 percent from recent highs.

Meanwhile, the benchmark S&P 500 has closed in the red for five consecutive weeks.