• Dow Jones: 20,651.30; -6.72; -0.03%
• S&P 500: 2,353.78; -3.38; -0.14%
• Nasdaq: 5,866.77; -14.15; -0.24%
In Dow Jones news today, the markets dropped as geopolitical instability in North Korea and Syria weighed on investor sentiment.
• Geopolitical instability pushed the CBOE Volatility Index to its highest levels in five months.
• The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) jumped to its highest level in five months. In a sign that geopolitical tension is weighing on the market, the VIX snapped a streak of 103 sessions in which it traded below its 200-day moving average.
• Investors ducked for cover on Wednesday as a drumbeat of alarming geopolitical news sent the safe-haven yen and gold to five-month highs and yields on top-rated sovereign bonds to their lowest for the year so far.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 slid 1 percent in early trade, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was near flat.
• Asian markets were mixed in early trade on Wednesday, as tensions continue to ratchet up on the Korean Peninsula following a warning from North Korea of a nuclear attack on the U.S.
• North Korean state media said on Tuesday that the hermit state was watching every move made by "enemy elements" and that its "nuclear sight (was) focused on the U.S. invasionary bases."
The development takes place as a U.S. aircraft carrier group makes its way toward the western Pacific following multiple missile launches from North Korea earlier in this year.
Reference: Money Morning, CNBC, Reuters
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