Stocks Opened Sharply Lower after Three Straight Days of Gains

U.S. stocks opened sharply lower on Friday, as cases of the novel coronavirus continued to spiral higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lately fell 954.00 points, or 4.23%%, to 21,598.17. The S&P 500 declined 100.14 points, or 3.81%, to 2,529.93. The Nasdaq Composite lost 292.66 points, or 3.75%, to 7,504.88.

Oil futures edged lower Friday, as traders continued to balance optimism over a $2 trillion U.S. fiscal stimulus package against a huge drop in demand as result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery was 3 cents, or 0.1%, at $22.63 a barrel, while June Brent crude fell 23 cents, or 0.7%, to $28.42 a barrel.