A barrel of oil was priced at negative $3.70 on Monday, April 20. NEW YORK - U.S. equity markets fell sharply Tuesday as sliding oil prices weighed on investor sentiment and the Senate prepared to extend more relief for small businesses after a stalemate that left some owners facing ruin.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 515 points, or 2.18 percent, in the opening minutes of trading. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.76 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively. RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates The early selling comes as West Texas Intermediate crude oil remained under pressure after a historic selloff pushed prices into negative territory for the May contract, which expires