No recommendation
No news or research item is a personal recommendation to deal. Hargreaves Lansdown may not share ShareCast's (powered by Digital Look) views.
Market latest
FTSE 100 | FTSE 250 | Paris CAC 40 | Dow Jones | NASDAQ
10780.11 |
130.44 (1.20%)
23423.64 |
333.51 (1.40%)
48904.78 |
73.14 (0.15%)
22748.86 |
80.65 (0.36%)
8394.32 |
186.43 (2.17%)
NaN |
0.00 (0.00%)
Prices delayed by at least 15 minutes
(Sharecast News) - Wall Street stocks slipped on Monday after the weekend's attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, as oil prices surged on the back of fears about the disruption to supplies, amid the risk of a further escalation in conflict across the Middle East.
The Dow and S&P 500 both slipped around 0.4%, while the Nasdaq edged 0.3% lower.
"Where equities go next will depend to some extent on how long hostilities last. As things stand, it seems unlikely that this will all be over in a couple of weeks, unlike the last joint operation against Tehran. And it's clear that Iran is not going to roll over this time," said Neil Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation.
"But what investors can't know yet is just how much damage has been done to the regime, or its ability to fight back effectively."
Oil prices hit levels not seen since last June after the US and Israel started a war with Iran on Saturday, assassinating the country's leader Ayatollah Ali Khomenei and several members of his administration, in an attack aimed at regime change in the Persian Gulf state.
The attacks across multiple provinces sparked a wild reaction from Iran, which fired missiles and drones across the region, hitting US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, along with other strikes on Israel, Oman, Dubai and the British air force base on Cyprus.
WTI crude was up 6.6% at $71.42 a barrel on fears of oil supply disruption as Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned ships not to use the vital Strait of Hormuz - through which 20% of the world's oil is transported, along with other commodities.
Meanwhile, European natural gas futures rocketed 50% to a one-year high of 47/MWh as gas production was disrupted by the conflict.
In economic news, the ISM's US manufacturing purchasing managers' index eased to 52.4 in February from 52.6 in January, but came in higher than the 51.8 consensus forecast.
Energy stocks in focus
Shares in AES plunged 17% after the news that the energy company has been acquired by a consortium, including BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners and EQT, for $10.7bn.
The purchase values AES at $15 a share, well below the $17.26 price tag as of Friday's close, but includes the assumption of some $22.7bn in debt.
Others in the energy sector, however, were tracking oil prices higher, with Chevron, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips putting in decent gains.