U.S. equity futures fell after President Trump ordered an airstrike on Iraq that killed an Iranian general. All three of the major U.S. averages fell with the Dow Jones Industrial Average off 0.78% (225 points).
News that Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was killed in an air attack at the Baghdad international airport prompted expectations of Iranian retaliation against U.S. and Israeli targets. The developments come after the first trading session of the new year sent Wall Street to new records on Thursday. Investors were encouraged by expectations of stronger global economic growth in 2020 and the planned signing of an interim U.S.-Chinese trade agreement.
CNBC:
“It’s a game-changer,” Dryden Pence, chief investment officer at Pence Wealth Management, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday. “We now have vast, broader array of weapons systems that the president has at his disposal. We’ve been able to weaponize economic sanctions now where we can go after individuals, … but now I think the ultimate sanction that the president is able to use is an airstrike.” Pence added, however, that any market volatility “will be short-lived.”
President Donald Trump on Friday morning tweeted his first statement after an American airstrike killed Iran’s top military commander hours earlier.
“Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!” the president tweeted.
Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020
Soleimani led the special Quds Force unit of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards and has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans and many other across the Middle East. The Pentagon said he had been actively planning attack on U.S. diplomats and service members in Iraq and elsewhere throughout the region.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iranian-supported forces for several attacks on bases in Iraq. Pompeo also warned that any future attacks on Americans or U.S. allies would be “answered with a decisive U.S. response.”
MacDailyNews Take: Some short-term volatility is, of course, to be expected. As per the amount of volatility: Yesterday, the Dow opened at 28,638.97, today it’s currently at 28,610.00.
Actually it was Benjamin Netanyahu who gave the orders. His enforcer Jared Kushner relayed instructions to underling Trump.So Trump was simply completing a task assigned by his boss.
People who think they’re smart, but who are actually just silly simpletons have become a tiresome plague upon the Internet. Go over to Twitter, joell, your mindless media-led brethren will welcome you with open arms, you anti-semite.
As expected, changing the subject by playing the old a-s card, dealt from the bottom of the deck.
Actually, you kind of like what Gen. Qassem Soleimani was doing killing Americans and Iraqis, and you are mad he is dead. But, on the other hand, you cheer with every abortion that happens in America. You are a sick twisted waste of humanity.
So are detractors like yourself saying President Trump’s so called “Putin’s lapdog” position, he got fired? Now moved on to Benjamin Netanyahu his new master that gave the orders?
What never ceases to amaze me about loony leftists and Democrat detractors they just make stuff up, totally without facts and throw it out there. And worse, believe it!
Pay close attention @joell, if you believe for a nanosecond the president and his staff did not make this decision on their own, you are totally CLUELESS.
I have some old school advice for you. If you believe the first time candidate historic presidential winner that came out of nowhere, day after day broke all the swamp and media rules, bested the record spending woman presidential candidate in history that the media endorsements and polls said would win by over 80% by Election Day — you need to get your head out of your arse and accept REALITY.
President Trump and team accomplished and bravely got done what needed to done and several presidents for decades, did not have the cojones to do it.
Bottom line: No one OWNS President Donald J. Trump, no one tells him WHAT TO DO and most important — he fears NO ONE… 🤠🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🤠
If you don’t think Israel was involved you are deluded. Every single action the US has taken in the ME in the last 50+ years has been EXACTLY what Israel wanted.
No, I am not “deluded.”
But I have a question for you. Exactly how was Israel involved for the last 50 years 100% of the time?
Sounds like an absolute statement to me…
Don’t think it was Benji, but it was some sort of yahoo…
Or a member of the Hee Haw demographic
“President Trump, who personally gave the order for the drone strike that killed Soleimani, charged him with plotting attacks on Americans. He said Soleimani was caught in the act and terminated.”
Full story:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7848729/Trump-taunts-Iran-saying-never-won-war-ordering-strike-killed-Soleimani.html
Sorry, but on send thought… 🤣
What more could you expect from an armchair warrior who never served anything except himself. Keep wrecking the country Orange boy, your doing a fantastic job!
Stop being stupid, just stop
LOL… brilliant analyses.
You mean Barack Obama, the community organizer who bragged about killing bin Laden?
He did not brag. Quite the opposite.
Trump should send a missile your way. Would make the world a better place. Oh, and one for CitizenXopeless, too. Then you can both go and meet Jobs and give him a piece of your collective minds. Would make the world for the rest of us a better place. And you could grow a few inches in height too. Would make the world a much better place with cyniccrapola’d on.
That time will come, for now there’s you.
Certainly I don’t believe it is productive to get into a semantic pee match whether he bragged, or not.
But he did hold a high profile national press conference carried by ALL THE NETWORKS (not today) forcefully touting the accomplishments of his administration and the military.
Now, the bragging was absolutely loud, proud and widespread from Democrats and ratcheted to godly levels by the biased media for weeks. The Republicans were smart, supportive and some on record like Steve Scalise saying, “this is good for America.” Note to the president’s Number 1 detractor Pelosi, Congressional permission is not required, same as Obama.
Fast forward to those same Democrats today. I have not heard one word of praise. Instead of just keeping their mouths shut out of respect, instant lockstep hate and clueless criticism before the facts are known. Certainly, they don’t know how to return the same FAVOR.
Democrat HYPOCRISY and Democrat POLITICS at its worst in history…
Are you always this blind to reality, or does it naturally come easy to you?..,
“short-term volatility” lol
Anybody who thinks that the U.S. resorting to high-level political assassination against Iran will only result in “short-term volatility” clearly doesn’t have a clue about either Iran or geopolitics. Get back to your core mission, and get away from market and geopolitical analysis.
You clearly don’t know your ass from Iran so just read and learn.
They are absolutely right.