Wall Street closed yesterday in red, starting October on a negative note related to the fear of a regional war in the Middle East and its consequences on the markets after yesterday’s attack by Iran against Israel.
At the end of the session, the Dow fell 0.41%, to 42,156 points, while the S&P 500 lost 0.93%, to 5,708 units; The Nasdaq rose 1.53 percent to 17,910.
The Vix volatility index, dubbed the “fear indicator,” soared 15% following Iran’s missile attack on Israel in retaliation for Israeli bombings that killed the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah and an Iranian general.
As a result of the attack, oil prices and the prices of safe haven assets such as the dollar, gold and the bonds of the most solid countries skyrocketed.
Texas oil, which closed three consecutive months lower last Monday due to the prospect of an increase in global supply, rose 2.4% yesterday due to the geopolitical issue in the Middle East and was close to $70. Gold rose to $2,680 an ounce and the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond fell to 3.733 percent at the close of trading.
By sector, the greatest losses were for technology companies.
The stock market is also awaiting the dockers’ strike that began in the ports of the East Coast of the United States, with immediate costs for the economy which are estimated in billions of dollars.
CT
