Nasdaq leads equity losses with oil, borrowing costs in focus
By Sinéad Carew and Ragini
Mathur
Mon May 18, 2026
The continuing closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices surging again today and concerns that inflation will only continue to worsen caused a flight from back into industrials. But it was certainly not a smooth ride as, though tech was a steady downward curve, industrials were up and down all day going back and forth between highs just over 150 to a low of down about 170 right around 3 pm before zooming up again and closing at a plus 160.