2024-04-20 10:42:21
It is not yet clear what exactly and who is behind the attack in Iran. However, the stock markets react quickly to the current developments in the Middle East.
The attack in Iran weighed heavily on stock markets on Friday. The German leading index Dax fell by 0.94 percent to 17,670.34 points in the morning, heading for its third weekly loss in a row. The MDax of medium-sized stocks lost one percent to 25,927.67 points on Friday. The EuroStoxx 50, the leading index for the Euro region, lost 0.7 percent.
The trigger was explosions in the Iranian city of Isfahan. According to US media reports, these are said to have followed an Israeli attack. The channels CNN, ABC News, MSNBC and Fox News and other media outlets cited US government representatives:
Accordingly, Israel carried out a military operation in Iran on Friday night. One or more Israeli missiles attacked a target in Iran. There were initially no reports of damage. Israel and the US Department of Defense have not yet commented.
Iran denies reports of missile attacks
Iran’s state media rejected reports of missile attacks. The state news agency Irna reported that it was not a widespread attack. Rather, it is an attack from inside Iran.
According to stockbrokers, these reports reassured investors to some extent. Investors apparently assume that Iran is trying to downplay the incidents. According to a senior Iranian government official, the regime in Tehran has no immediate plans to retaliate. The reason for this is that according to his account, it is not yet clear who was behind the incident.
“The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed,” the Iranian official, who did not want to be named, told Reuters. There was no “external attack” on Iran, he added. “The discussion tends more towards infiltration than attack.”
Oil and gold prices are rising
Financial market expert Andreas Lipkow wrote on Friday morning: “Investors are currently showing some nervousness given the situation in the Middle East and its impact on the energy markets.”
On the markets, reports of an escalation in the Middle East had already led to a sharp rise in oil prices. Iran is one of the world’s largest oil exporters. (Here you can read more about it.)
The price of gold also rose significantly early Friday morning. While a troy ounce of gold was still trading for around $2,377 on Thursday evening, the price jumped to more than $2,415 during the night. The troy ounce was last quoted at around 10 a.m. on Friday morning at a price of around $2,388. Gold is considered a crisis currency in which investors regularly take refuge in the face of uncertain market prospects.