SaltWire's Atlantic regional weather forecast for October 17, 2023] | SaltWireNEW YORK - U.S. equity options traders remain on edge, with much of their focus on U.S. Treasuries even as Middle East tensions persist.
Concerns that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could spread to the region has fueled demand for safe-haven assets such as gold and the U.S. dollar, but Treasury yields still appear to be the main driver for U.S. equities, analysts said. Investors worry that strength in consumer spending could force the Fed to keep interest rates higher for longer.
"From a VIX point of view Israel is a bit of a side show," Tallbacken Capital CEO Michael Purves said.The option market, meanwhile, reflects investors' uncertainty about how stocks perform for the rest of the year.