Stock Market Down

John M. Mason18.15K FollowersFollow5ShareSavePlay(7min)Comment(1)SummaryThe onset of the 'war' in Iran on February 28, 2026, has triggered a notable decline in U.S. equity markets.Both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 fell sharply from near-record highs, reversing a four-year trend of resilience.Federal Reserve policy shifted from quantitative tightening to easing in December 2025, but the war reprioritized government spending and financing.Budgetary focus shifted dramatically, with war support becoming the federal government's top priority, altering fiscal and mon dynamics. J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Well, the "war" in Iran is doing something that little else has been able to do over the past four years. The "war" in Iran is apparently causing a decline in the U.S. stock market.This article was written byJohn M. Mason18.15K FollowersFollowJohn M. Mason writes on current monetary and financial events. He is the founder and CEO of New Finance, LLC. Dr. Mason has been President and CEO of two publicly traded financial institutions and the executive vice president and CFO of a third. He has also served as a special assistant to the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D. C. and as a senior economist within the Federal Reserve System. He formerly was on the faculty of the Finance Department, Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania and was a professor at Penn State University and taught in both the Management Division and the Engineering Division. Dr. Mason has served on the boards of venture capital funds and other private equity funds. He has worked with young entrepreneurs, especially within the urban environment, starting or running companies primarily connected with Information Technology.Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.