Wall Street closed in the red on anticipation of tensions in the Middle East

New York, October 3 (EFE). Wall Street closed in the red this Thursday in anticipation of escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and with some nervousness about the monthly US jobs report due on Friday.

At the end of the session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.44% to 42,011 points; The S&P 500 fell 0.17% to 5,699 and the Nasdaq lost a slight 0.04% to 17,918.

Israel continues to bomb southern Lebanon, where it launched a ground offensive after last week’s killing of Hamas, Hezbollah leaders and an Iranian general, which Iran responded by firing missiles at the Jewish state.

This Thursday, oil prices rose by more than 5% after US President Joe Biden told the press before boarding a helicopter that he was in contact with Israel regarding possible retaliation against Iranian oil facilities.

Meanwhile, the US released weekly data on unemployment claims this Thursday: 225,000, above expectations, softening Wednesday’s positive data on the number of jobs in the private sector.

Losses dominated by industry, led by companies producing non-essential goods (-1.28%) and raw materials companies (-1.15%).

Energy companies again saw the biggest gains (1.58%), with the price of a barrel rising in Texas to around $74.

Among the Dow Jones, the most notable declines were MSD (-1.70%), Boeing (-1.55%) and Amazon (-1.52%).

Outside that group, shares of clothing maker Levi Strauss fell 7.7% after announcing Wednesday that it was considering divesting its Dockers brand because it was hurting its overall results.

Elsewhere, at stock market close, the 10-year yield rose to 3.848%, gold rose to $2,676 an ounce and the euro traded at $1.1028, lower than Wednesday. EFE

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