Gokhan Ergocun
13 November 2026•Update: 13 November 2026
US stock markets closed lower on Thursday as investors weighed surging energy prices, Nvidia’s leadership change, and fresh labor market data, while European shares finished mixed.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 189.40 points, or 0.36%, to 52,297.09.
The S&P 500 fell 0.35%, or 26.98 points, to 7,592.40, while the Nasdaq Composite decreased 0.39%, or 100.10 points, to close at 25,366.09.
The Volatility Index (VIX), often referred to as the market’s “fear index,” rose 7.26% to 18.76.
Market sentiment was rattled after US President Donald Trump said Washington no longer needed a deal with Iran, reigniting geopolitical supply concerns.
Following Trump’s remarks, international benchmark Brent crude climbed 3.22% to $95.75 per barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 2.55% to $88.74 per barrel as of 2145GMT.
European natural gas surged 9.79% to €95.14 ($105.2) per megawatt-hour, and US natural gas advanced 4.68% to $3.37 per million British thermal units.
In precious metals, spot gold dropped 2.78% to $3,877.12 per ounce, hitting the lowest level since October 2025, and silver slid 3.22% to $50 per ounce.
Technology shares also faced pressure after chipmaker Nvidia tumbled following the exit of CEO Jensen Huang.
On the macroeconomic front, initial US jobless claims rose to 200,000 in the week ending Nov. 7, exceeding economists’ expectations of 195,000.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets closed mixed, with the pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index rising 0.14% to 664.01 points.
Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.25% to 10,863.09, Germany’s DAX 40 increased 0.41% to 26,771.88, and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.34% to 8,361.36.
Italy’s FTSE MIB went down 0.27% to close at 51,808.67, while Spain’s IBEX 35 fell 0.31% to close at 19,965.50.