U.S. equities and stock exchange traded funds turned positive late Friday after investors pushed away from safe-haven assets in their initial knee-jerk reaction to President Donald Trump’s decision to strike a Syrian airfield.
The S&P 500 Index, along with related funds including the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: SPY), iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: IVV) and Vanguard 500 Index (NYSEArca: VOO), were up 0.2% Friday.
Investors initially turned to safe-haven assets on the increased political uncertainty in the wake of a U.S. precision strike against Syria as observers cautioned that the move could fuel tensions with Russia, which has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Traders also reacted negatively to the lackluster jobs growth in the month of March after the Labor Department revealed nonfarm payrolls increased by a seasonally adjusted 98,000 in March, compared to economists’ projections of a 175,000 jump, the Wall Street Journal reports.