How Early Markets Reacted to the U.S. Airstrike that Killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani

By corlaffra @ Shutterstock.com

Yesterday, a U.S. airstrike killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, leader of the foreign wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. News of the strike and the general’s death sent safe-haven asset prices higher as investors priced in greater risk in the Middle East.

Assets such as gold and the 10-year U.S. Treasury note saw their prices rise as investor sentiment weakened. Gold was up 1.4% while the 10-year was at 1.827% Friday morning from 1.880% on Thursday (a drop in yield reflects an increase in price), while DJIA futures were down 226 pts pre-open.

Is this a New Year’s prediction of what’s ahead? Of course not. But it is absolutely a micro-example of how assets react when uncertainty abounds. My advice to you: Make sure you’re prepared for unforeseen events that may rip through your portfolio in times of trouble.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.