Global markets watch for fallout as Middle East tensions rise
financial markets, as investors wait to see if the conflict draws in other countries with the potential to drive up oil prices further and deal a fresh blow to the world economy.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to «demolish Hamas» as his military prepared ground operations in Gaza to root out the militant group, whose deadly rampage through Israeli border towns stunned the nation.
S&P 500 E-Mini futures edged up after they opened on Sunday, last up 0.2%, while oil prices were virtually unchanged.
Trading had been choppy in the last week as Wall Street worried about whether other countries such as Iran would get involved, but investors were directing most of their attention to interest rates and issues related to the U.S. economy.
«As long as the war remains relatively localized, U.S.
investors are keeping an eye on the Middle East but focused on the Federal Reserve and the earnings season,» said Paul Nolte, market strategist for Murphy & Sylvest in Elmhurst, Illinois.
Oil futures had leapt nearly 6% on Friday, as investors priced in the possibility of a wider Middle East conflict. The first indicator of reaction to weekend developments will likely come when oil starts trading in Asia later on Sunday.
«It looks like we're headed for a massive ground invasion of Gaza and a large-scale loss of life,» said Ben Cahill, senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
