The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) Friday closed down -1.46%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI) (DIA) closed down -1.24%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) closed down -1.66%.
Stock indexes Friday closed sharply lower, with the S&P 500 falling to a 4-week low and the Dow Jones Industrials falling to a 2-1/2 month low. Heightened geopolitical tensions fueled risk aversion and sparked long liquidation in stocks Friday. Risk aversion also boosted safe-haven demand for gold, pushed gold prices to a record high Friday, and sparked a rally in crude prices to a 5-1/2 month high. Western intelligence assessments said a missile or drone attack by Iran or its proxies against Israeli government assets is imminent within days in retaliation for Israel’s attack on an Iranian embassy compound in Syria.
