The death of Qassem Soleimani will lead to 'a risk-off for equity markets and upward pressure on oil prices,' said a portfolio manager. “But what we don’t know is the timing and severity of Iran’s expected reaction.”
U.S. stocks fell on Friday, but were off their session lows by midsession, after investors reacted to escalating tensions in the Middle East and a U.S. manufacturing activity index plumbing its lowest level since June 2009.
What’s driving the market? The Pentagon confirmed late Thursday that the U.S. military had killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, and said the strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attacks. ....of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself. While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!
Chiavarone said the traditional playbook for investors was to look past such jitters unless it appeared to impede global economic growth. More important to the bull market’s momentum was the direction of growth, how much stimulus central banks provided, and if trade tensions continued to wane with the forging of the phase one tariff deal between the U.S. and China, he said.
Which stocks were in focus? The surge in oil prices sent airline stocks lower as higher fuel costs could crimp their earnings. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. AAL, -4.21% fell 3.1%, Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL, -2.17% dropped 1.9%, and United Airlines Holdings Inc. UAL, -1.99% shed 2%.
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