March market misery as the Dow closes the month in the red. It posted its worst first quarter on record. The energy sector was the big underperformer, plunging nearly 35 per cent in March, while US tech giants are among the few stocks to eke out gains. The markets should brace for more dismal data, as Cleveland Fed president Loretta Mester told CNBC. In Europe, major indices lost more than 20 per cent this month. Britain's major banks are now ditching their dividends after the U.K.'s financial regulator joins its European counterparts to call on lenders to preserve cash. This comes as the death toll in the U.K. marks its biggest daily rise, while President Trump warns the virus could claim as many as 240,000 U.S. lives.