---
title: "Why Is the Stock Market Down Today, 5/21/26?"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/287240720.md"
description: "The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 are down due to rising oil prices and tensions regarding Iran's uranium stockpile. Iranian officials claim the stockpile will remain in the country, conflicting with U.S. and Israeli demands. Consumer defensive stocks, particularly Walmart, are also dragging the market down after a poor earnings report, while semiconductor stocks are recovering following Nvidia's results."
datetime: "2026-05-21T14:30:02.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/287240720.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287240720.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/287240720.md)
---

# Why Is the Stock Market Down Today, 5/21/26?

Both the S&P 500 (SPX) and the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) are trading lower on Thursday amid rising oil prices and a concerning development coming out of Iran.

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has stated that the country's stockpile of highly enriched uranium will remain inside the country, two Iranian officials told _Reuters_. That contrasts with the position of the U.S. and Israel, which have pushed for Tehran to move its stockpile to a third country as part of any agreement.

## **Iran Report Disputed as Walmart Lags, Semis Bounce**

Fox News White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie pushed back on the report, citing a source directly involved in the negotiations who said the claim that Iran would refuse to transfer its stockpile is false.

Elsewhere, consumer defensive stocks are dragging the market lower, with Walmart (WMT) leading the sector to the downside following a disappointing earnings report. On the other hand, semiconductor and memory chips have rallied higher from their morning lows as investors digest Nvidia's (NVDA) results.

### Related Stocks

- [.NDX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.NDX.US.md)
- [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md)
- [NVDA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md)
- [NVDU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDU.US.md)
- [QQQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/QQQ.US.md)
- [IVV.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IVV.US.md)
- [SMH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SMH.US.md)
- [NVDL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDL.US.md)
- [QQEW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/QQEW.US.md)
- [TQQQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TQQQ.US.md)
- [IYK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IYK.US.md)
- [XLP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XLP.US.md)
- [VOO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VOO.US.md)
- [SPY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPY.US.md)
- [NVDX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDX.US.md)
- [QQQM.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/QQQM.US.md)
- [UGE.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UGE.US.md)
- [WMT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WMT.US.md)
- [NVD.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVD.DE.md)

## Related News & Research

- [LIVE MARKETS-In Europe, 'the pessimists are back'](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286894777.md)
- [U.S. economy is showing the strain from Iran war as nearly 3-month conflict drags on](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287242352.md)
- [Futures Pointing To Slightly Lower Open On Wall Street](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286773644.md)
- [Recently, mortgage rates reached their highest level since the start of the war, now at 6.5%. Inflation concerns drive the increase.](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287257445.md)
- [Jobs stall and prices surge amid Trump’s Iran-fueled economic turmoil](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287231681.md)