[New York Stock Exchange] Investor Sentiment Freezes Amid Israel-Iran Escalation... Dow Down 1.8%

The New York Stock Exchange fell on June 13 (local time) as Iran launched a retaliatory attack against Israel following Israel's airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and other targets. As the Middle East crisis intensified, oil prices surged and the price of gold, a safe-haven asset, also rose.

On this day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 42,197.79, down 769.83 points (-1.79%) from the previous session.

The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index ended at 5,976.97, down 68.29 points (-1.13%), while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Index closed at 19,406.83, down 255.66 points (-1.30%) from the previous session.

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Investor sentiment cooled rapidly as the security crisis in the Middle East escalated following Iran's counterattack in response to Israel's strike on Iran.

Amid concerns over a potential disruption to global oil supplies, energy companies such as ExxonMobil (up 2.18%) and Diamondback Energy (up 3.74%) posted gains, as did defense contractors like Lockheed Martin (up 3.66%) and RTX (up 3.34%).

In contrast, airline stocks such as Delta Air Lines (down 3.76%) and United Airlines (down 4.43%) declined due to concerns over rising oil prices and a potential decrease in passenger numbers.

The Volatility Index (VIX) of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), often referred to as the "fear index," rose 2.80 points from the previous session to 20.82, surpassing the 20 level.

Meanwhile, the crisis in the Middle East, a region central to global oil production, drove international oil prices sharply higher, and the price of gold as a safe-haven asset also increased.

On the ICE Futures Exchange, the front-month Brent crude futures price closed at $74.23 per barrel, a sharp 7.0% increase from the previous session. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, the front-month West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures price rose 7.3% from the previous session to $72.98 per barrel.

At 3:18 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the front-month gold futures price stood at $3,457 per ounce, up 1.6% from the previous session. The price was once again approaching the all-time high of $3,500 per ounce, which was last surpassed about two months earlier on April 22.