Wall

Wall Street closed lower on Friday with all three major indexes ending the week in the red, while the Russell 2000 hit its lowest level of the year, despite strong corporate earnings and solid guidance reportedly supporting broader market trends.[3] Meta Platforms shares fell nearly 4% following a report that the social media giant has postponed the release of its AI model Avocado to at least May, signaling potential delays in the company's AI product roadmap.[3] Ulta Beauty shares slumped more than 14% as rising costs deepened margin concerns, with the company's new CEO flagging potential global cost impacts.[3] The mixed market performance reflects investor uncertainty about technology sector growth prospects amid ongoing economic and competitive pressures.

Growing stress in the global private credit market contributed to institutional risk reduction on March 13, 2026, alongside geopolitical and oil concerns. Hedge funds faced losses, prompting defensive stances before the weekend close. This layered pressure exacerbated the Dow's 7% drop from its February 10 peak. Monitoring includes private credit default rates and fund liquidations next week.