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QUOTES-Markets respond as tensions increase in the Middle East

Increasing geopolitical stress sent out U.S. investors out of stocks and into safe havens such as Treasuries and the dollar on Tuesday, after the U.S. cautioned it had signs that Iran may be planning a ballistic rocket strike versus Israel.

The S&P 500 was recently down 1.1% while the Nasdaq Composite Index was off 1.6%. The dollar was up 0.4%. versus a basket of currencies. The U.S. benchmark 10-year. Treasury yield was just recently down about 8 basis points at 3.72%.

QUOTES:

ALLAN SMALL, SENIOR INVESTMENT CONSULTANT, ALLAN SMALL. FINANCIAL GROUP WITH IA PRIVATE WEALTH, TORONTO

Markets had gotten used to a lot of geopolitics as Israel. continued its fight in Gaza and with Hamas; it seemed like that. wasn't impacting markets much. It looked like a great deal of the. battling had actually been done currently and that was winding down and. then here we are - a new trigger comes up. The marketplace will sell. off on that heading, whether it rebounds today or. tomorrow depends on whether the headline coming out now is valid. or not.

If the war intensifies, that obviously is not good for. markets but would benefit the cost of oil, gold and those. stocks though most of the other stocks would probably sell off. like we're seeing today.

MICHAEL BROWN, SENIOR RESEARCH STUDY STRATEGIST, PEPPERSTONE,. LONDON

I believe the preliminary market response to the news has actually been. basically exactly as one would have anticipated, with a knee-jerk. risk-off vibe sweeping across the board, as the dollar vaulted. to day-highs, along with gold and long-end Treasuries, while. stocks and greater beta G10s slumped.

The key question now is the degree to which these preliminary. relocations are consolidated, or pare back, which hinges almost. totally on whether an Iranian attack is certainly forthcoming. Markets, hence, are likely to display an exceptionally high. sensitivity to incoming geopolitical news circulation in the coming. hours. Though, if recent reports are to be thought and the. previously mentioned attack is comparable in scale to that provided in. April, this might be welcomed with a sigh of relief, and not be. analyzed as a significant sign of escalation beyond what has. currently been seen.

ANTHONY SAGLIMBENE, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, AMERIPRISE. FINANCIAL, TROY, MICHIGAN

The circumstance in the Middle East continues to evolve. quickly. With Iran and Lebanon being drawn into the Middle East. conflict more straight, reactions today are playing out in. higher crude and gold rates. While rising geopolitical stress. produce elevated market uncertainty and anxiety over the near. term, financiers will likely measure the longer-term effect of. growing Middle East conflict through prospective influence on oil. supply.

WALTER TODD, PRIMARY INVESTMENT OFFICER, GREENWOOD CAPITAL,. GREENWOOD, SOUTH CAROLINA

It's obviously risk-off. Individuals will buy up Treasuries,. sell stocks, buy oil - all the regular things you would think about. in this scenario.

This highlights the situation of this market in the fact. that there are a myriad of threats out there, whether that's. slowing employment in the U.S., the geopolitical stress in. Ukraine, the Middle East. And the marketplace appears extremely mispriced. for any flare-up of any of those risks ... It's vulnerable to. shocks like this.

LOU BASENESE, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, MDB. CAPITAL, NEW YORK CITY:

The markets are acting naturally. In the lead-up to and. outbreak of war or geopolitical crises, significant indexes sell. reflexively, dropping an average of 5% to 7%. The selling. pressure generally lasts for about two weeks. Within another 2. weeks, though, they generally recuperate. So trading around the. worry or outbreak is a risky proposal at finest.

That said, the nature of each dispute can have more. lasting effect on private sectors or locations of the market,. like oil and defense stocks. In this case, we 'd be hard pushed. to discover anyone that disagrees that an Iranian attack would be a. major escalation and sign of a protracted dispute, which. ought to keep driving both oil and defense stocks greater.

(source: Reuters)