US Stock Market: Wall Street dives, treasury yields tumble as bank worries spread amid Silicon Valley Bank crisis

US stocks closed sharply lower and Treasury yields extended their slide on Friday over fears of contagion in the financial sector and strong February employment data showing the economy added more jobs than expected.

All three major US stock indexes ended the session down more than 1%, with the tech-laden Nasdaq suffering the largest percentage loss.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) fell 345.22 points, or 1.07%, to 31,909.64, the S&P 500 (.SPX) lost 56.73 points, or 1.45%, to 3,861.59 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) dropped 199.47 points, or 1.76%, to 11,138.89.

The indexes ended a tumultuous week significantly lower than last Friday's close. The S&P had its biggest weekly percentage loss since September, while the Nasdaq and the Dow notched their largest respective losses since November and June.

Also Read: Silicon Valley Bank Crisis: Banking regulators close SVB to protect depositors

Shock waves continue to reverberate through global financial stocks after regulators closed SVB Financial Group following the bank's failed attempt to raise capital.

The US economy added a consensus-beating 311,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked higher, along with the labor market participation rate.

Hourly wage growth cooled on a monthly basis, but gained some heat year-on-year, albeit not as much as economists predicted.

The data caps a week in which markets were preoccupied with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's hawkish two-day testimony before Congress, which moved the needle toward the likelihood that the central bank will hike its key policy rate by 50 basis points this month.

Also Read: Yellow metal, Silver buckle under pressure as $ hits 3-month high on hawkish outlook

Those expectations cooled following the jobs report.

At last glance, financial markets are pricing in a 42.5% chance of a 50 basis-point rate hike and a 57.5% chance of a smaller, 25 basis-point increase to the fed funds target rate at the conclusion of the March 21-22 monetary policy meeting.

Analysts now look to Tuesday's consumer prices data, which will flesh out the February inflationary picture.

European stocks slid to a seven-week low over uncertainty regarding rising interest rates, and looming worries over the health of the U.S. banking sector.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) lost 1.35% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) shed 1.40%.

Emerging market stocks lost 1.37%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) closed 1.75% lower, while Japan's Nikkei (.N225) lost 1.67%.

Also Read: Rupee vs US dollar: Indian currency rises 13 paise to 81.82 against $

U.S. Treasury yields dropped for the second straight day as risk-averse investors sought safe haven amid brewing troubles in the financial sector.

Benchmark 10-year notes last rose 61/32 in price to yield 3.6892%, from 3.923% late on Thursday.

The 30-year bond last rose 101/32 in price to yield 3.6899%, from 3.87% late on Thursday.

The greenback weakened against a basket of world currencies after the payrolls report hinted at cooling inflation and a slower pace of interest rate hikes from the Fed.

The dollar index fell 0.65%, with the euro up 0.54% toat $1.0637.

The Japanese yen strengthened 0.91% versus the greenback at 134.94 per dollar, while sterling was last trading at $1.2028, up 0.86% on the day.

Oil prices jumped after the jobs data, but registered a 3% drop on the week over rate hike jitters.

US crude rose 1.27% to settle at $76.68 per barrel and Brent settled at $82.78 per barrel, up 1.46% on the day.

Gold prices jumped over 2% as the safe-haven metal benefitted from fears over potential crisis contagion in the banking sector.

Spot gold added 2.1% to $1,868.79 an ounce.