U.S. stocks closed sharply lower on March 20, marking the fourth consecutive week of losses for the tech-heavy Nasdaq and blue-chip Dow. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries a fifth of the world's oil, remains largely inaccessible and has pushed international Brent crude prices sharply higher. Economists are concerned about how this will affect inflation and economic growth. The longer the conflict in the Middle East continues, they predict, the worse it will be for the economy. The Pentagon is sending thousands of additional Marines to the region and Iraq has declared force-easing on all oilfields operated by foreign companies.