Sentiment was bearish on Friday, with the Dow and Nasdaq each shedding triple digits as the S&P 500 saw a third-straight daily drop. All three indexes settled lower for the week after hotter-than-expected inflation data ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision put tech stocks under pressure and dashed hopes of a cut. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) edged higher on the day, meanwhile, but also saw a weekly loss.

OIL SWINGS WEEKLY GAIN DESPITE DAILY LOSS

Oil prices settled lower on Friday, but still notched a roughly 3% weekly gain thanks to lower U.S. crude supplies, an upbeat demand outlook, and continued conflict between Russia and Ukraine. April-dated West Texas Intermediate (WTI) lost 22 cents, or 0.3%, to finish at $81.26 per barrel on the day.

Gold prices also fell, marking their first weekly loss in four weeks as investors became less optimistic about interest rate cuts after a red-hot producer price index (PPI). April-dated gold dropped $5.70, or 0.5%, to settle at $2,167.50 per ounce on the day, and shed about 0.8% on the week.

More By This Author:

More Inflation Data Pressures Stocks Even Lower
Hot Inflation Data Plays Trick On Major Benchmarks
Stocks Scatter As Treasury Yields Rise