Dow Down, Peraso Up

All three major indices fell today.

The NASDAQ fell 361.31 points.

The DOW fell 453.19 points.

The S&P fell 90.69 points.

Today's decline continue on from yesterday's. This past week represents one of the most volatile market weeks since February when the DOW crossed the historic 50,000 point threshold on February 6, 2026. Yesterday's brutal sell-off bled into today's trading session. The decline capped off one of the most volatile weeks of the year. The DOW plunged 784 points on Thursday to close at 47,954. The S&P 500 dropped 0.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.3%. The downward momentum persists today. The DOW dropped another 650 points in early trading. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both slid over 1% at the opening bell.

Escalating conflict in the Middle East is motivating oil spike and destabilization fears. Airstrikes and counter-strikes are raising concerns about global energy supply chains and potential blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. Crude oil prices surged over 35% this week. U.S. crude topped $88 per barrel. Major airlines took heavy hits on the market due to the sudden spike in fuel costs.

The weak February jobs report also sparked stagflation fears. Newly released U.S. labor data shows employers cut more jobs last month than they created. Investors stared down a worst-case scenario of a weakening job market combined with surging inflation.

All this as Peraso shares rose 1.23 points to end the day at $2.04 per share. The company develops and sells integrated circuits and antenna modules. Their products enable high-speed data transmission for 5G networks, fixed wireless access, and consumer electronics. Peraso specializes in the 60 GHz frequency band. Their technology provides low latency, high reliability, and multi-gigabit speeds. The company operates from its headquarters in San Jose, California, and maintains a strong engineering presence in Toronto, Canada.

Their stock price surged today after they made a major defense industry announcement. Israeli defense contractor, InTACT, selected Peraso's 60 GHz millimeter-wave technology for a next-generation military drone identification system. The system helps military forces distinguish between friendly and hostile drones in contested electronic-warfare environments. Peraso's wireless transceivers support highly directional, low-power links to reduce the likelihood of detection or interception by enemy forces. This design win shifts investor expectations regarding future demand for Peraso's technology in tactical military applications.