The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index decreased in March, following an increase in February. The Index now stands at 127.7 (1985=100), down from 130.0 in February. The Present Situation Index decreased from 161.2 to 159.9, while the Expectations Index declined from 109.2 last month to 106.2 this month.

Tuesday, the Dow was down 344.89 points (1.43%) at 23,857.71, the NASDAQ fell 211.74 points (2.93%) to 7,008.81, and the S&P 500 decreased 45.93 points (1.73%) to 2,612.62. The Russell 2000 lost 30.15 points (1.95%) to finish at 1,513.57, and the Wilshire 5000 closed 497.10 points (1.80%) lower at 27,108.48.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note increased 21/32, bringing its yield down to 2.780%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 1 3/32, decreasing its yield to 3.030%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1797, Nathaniel Briggs patented a washing machine. In 1834, the U.S. Senate voted to censure President Andrew Jackson for the removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. In 1885, the Salvation Army was officially organized in the U.S. In 1917, during World War I the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was founded. In 1921, U.S. President Warren Harding named William Howard Taft as chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. In 1963, Sonny Werblin announced that the New York Titans of the American Football League was changing its name to the New York Jets. In 1990, Jesse Owens received the Congressional Gold Medal from U.S. President George H.W. Bush. In 2010, China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. signed a deal to buy Ford Motor Co.’s Volvo car unit.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM: “It is not how old you are, but how you are old.”—Jules Renard, French author