The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid over 200 points this morning after the Pentagon confirmed the U.S. killing of Iran's top military commander at an airport in Baghdad on Thursday night. The news raises concerns about escalation in the Middle East and the possibility of rising oil prices weighing on the global economy.
We'll dive further into the impacts of this below and see what else is moving the Dow today.
But first, here are the numbers from Thursday for the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq:
Index
Previous Close
Point Change
Percentage Change
Dow Jones
28,868.80
+330.36
+1.16
S&P 500
3,257.85
+27.07
+0.84
Nasdaq
9,092.19
+119.58
+1.33
Now, let's take a look at the most important market events to start your day.
The Top Stock Market Stories for Friday
The U.S. dollar fell to a nine-week low after the United States killed Iran Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani. The Pentagon confirmed the drone strike that killed the general at an airport in Baghdad, Iraq. The general was widely considered the second most powerful man in Iran - at a time when tensions between the United States and Iran are incredibly high. Soleimani led a special forces unit for Iran's Revolutionary Guards. The killing of Soleimani raises concerns beyond the stability of the Middle East. Some analysts worry that the sudden news could negatively affect ongoing efforts by the United States to court China on a phase one trade deal.
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Meanwhile, WTI and Brent crude prices surged - adding nearly $3 per barrel - this morning on news of the strike and Iran's response. Brent crude nearly touched $70 per barrel this morning. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that his country would respond with "severe revenge" for the death of Soleimani, whom he dubbed a martyr. Soleimani's death comes just two days after Iranian-backed militia attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued an alert today calling on all American citizens to exit Iraq immediately.
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Shares of Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) ticked higher again Friday after the company beat Wall Street vehicle delivery expectations for the fourth quarter. The company delivered a record 112,000 vehicles globally during the quarter, beating Wall Street expectations by 6,000 units. TSLA stock added another 2% this morning.
Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) were pushing higher after two solid upgrades from Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and RBC Capital. Both companies raised its price target to $330 per share as firms anticipate solid sales of iPhones and positive reception of its AirPods.
Shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) popped more than 7.1% Thursday to push above $49 per share. That price is the highest that AMD stock has risen since June 2000. Wall Street remains increasingly bullish thanks to the firm's new line of computing chips and its ability to address production challenges.
No major U.S. companies report earnings on Monday morning.
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Garrett Baldwin is a globally recognized research economist, financial writer, consultant, and political risk analyst with decades of trading experience and degrees in economics, cybersecurity, and business from Johns Hopkins, Purdue, Indiana University, and Northwestern.