An assault on a U.S. warship and commercial vessels in the Red Sea raises concerns among investors about a potential escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict. This could complicate the recent positive outlook for the U.S. stock rally, which achieved a fresh closing high for the year last week. The Pentagon acknowledges the reports of the attacks, with Yemen’s Houthi group claiming responsibility for drone and missile strikes on Israeli vessels. The situation is further complicated by a U.S. self-defense strike in Iraq against an “imminent threat” at a drone staging site.
There are fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict may expand into a broader regional conflict involving the U.S. and other players like Iran. These concerns had previously surfaced after an attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7 but had subsided in recent weeks.
In response to these developments, S&P 500 futures fell by 0.2% in Asian trade on Monday. Brent crude futures initially rose before slipping 0.8% to $78.27 a barrel, while gold reached a record high of $2,111 an ounce.
Quincy Krosby, Chief Global Strategist at LPL Financial, warns that a widening conflict could prompt some investors to cash in on recent stock gains. The S&P 500 had risen nearly 9% in November, driven by easing inflation signs and optimism that the Federal Reserve would halt interest rate hikes. The index, after reaching a 2023 closing high on Friday at 4594.63, is up almost 20% for the year.
Krosby notes the market’s sensitivity to conflict expansion and suggests that active managers may secure gains if the situation implies a deeper military conflict involving the U.S.
Past instances of geopolitical tension spikes led investors to seek safe havens like gold, Treasuries, and the U.S. dollar. A deepening Middle East conflict could also boost oil prices, which had declined in recent weeks.
Phil Orlando, Chief Equity Market Strategist at Federated Hermes, predicts that rising tensions could push West Texas Intermediate crude prices to $80-$90 per barrel.
Investors closely monitor upcoming factors that could impact stocks, including the U.S. employment report due on Friday, the Fed’s monetary policy meeting on Dec. 12-13, and seasonal influences like tax-loss selling and the “Santa Claus rally.”
Orlando acknowledges the potential for a spike in geopolitical tensions to drop the S&P 500 by “one or two hundred points” but remains confident that the index will end the year at 4,600.
