#IsraelIranConflict

*Due to Israel launching a deadly strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, tensions in the oil-rich Middle East have escalated, dampening global market risk sentiment and causing Wall Street's major stock indexes to open lower on Friday.*

*Israel has warned that this large-scale attack marks the beginning of a long-term campaign to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has vowed severe retaliation.*

*Fears that the conflict could disrupt Middle East oil supplies drove oil prices up nearly 9%. U.S. energy stocks rose in tandem, with Chevron (CVX.N) climbing 2.7% and ExxonMobil (XOM.N) rising 3.3%.*

*Washington has stated that it was not involved in the operation, but U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Iran had brought the consequences upon itself by rejecting American demands to limit its nuclear program. The two nations were scheduled to hold a sixth round of nuclear talks in Oman on Sunday.*

*Trump also urged Iran to reach an agreement, warning that "the next planned strike" would be "even more brutal".*

*Amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, investors rushed to safe-haven assets. U.S.-listed gold mining stocks rose accordingly, and gold prices climbed to a near two-month high. Newmont Corporation (NEM.N) gained 1.2%, Harmony Gold advanced 0.7%, and AngloGold Ashanti (AU.N) rose 1.6%.*

*Earlier this week, a muted consumer price report, weaker-than-expected producer price data, and largely unchanged initial jobless claims helped ease investor concerns over price pressures stemming from tariffs. Nonetheless, the market widely anticipates that Federal Reserve policymakers will keep interest rates unchanged at next week's meeting.*

*The preliminary reading of June consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan is scheduled for release at 10:00 AM Eastern Time.*

Investors are worried about all the uncertainty with global policy and geopolitical stuff, and their appetite for risk has clearly gone down.