How a conflict can highlight long-term investment opportunities

MW How a conflict can highlight long-term investment opportunities

By Philip van Doorn

Also in Weekend Reads: Tech stocks, tips on managing your IRA, how to select a chatbot and advice from the Moneyist

A tanker moored in port in Houston. The disruption to Middle East energy suppliers, especially Qatar, can benefit U.S. exporters of liquefied natural gas for decades, according to industry analysts.

U.S. stocks were down again Friday, after President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. would pause its plan to attack Iran's energy infrastructure until April 6.

Whether or not Iran negotiates with the U.S. for a near-term end to the conflict, investors might need to get used to the idea of a longer period of disruption. Matt Gertken, BCA's chief political strategist, wrote in a note to clients on Thursday that the U.S.'s "lower threshold for economic pain suggests Iran will not implement total denuclearization." This means that, if the fighting stops soon, "the war will re-escalate around the midterm election, even if investors are lucky enough to avoid a market meltdown in April," he wrote.

Through Thursday, the S&P 500 SPX was down 5.4% for 2026. Joseph Adinolfi and Isabel Wang explained why the broad U.S. stock market appeared to be inexpensively priced for the first time in a year.

Read: There's a clear path for U.S. stocks to rise next month after institutional deleveraging, say Goldman analysts

Tomi Kilgore dug into the gold-mining industry to highlight stocks trading at bargain prices. Continuous front-month contracts for gold (GC00) were up 3.4% in afternoon trading Friday to $4,525.50 an ounce. Gold was down 13.8% from a settlement price of $5,247.90 on Feb. 27, the day before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, but it was still up 4.3% from $4,341.10 at the end of last year.

Myra P. Saefong and Claudia Assis considered the potential for additional disruption to energy commodity prices if the U.S. were to invade Iran's Kharg Island.

More: Here's the long-term case for investing in producers of oil and natural gas

Tech stocks

Guess which stock in the S&P 500 traded lowest, on a forward price/earnings basis, as of Thursday's close? This is the answer - a rapidly growing chip maker that had pulled back over the previous week.

More of this week's coverage from the MarketWatch technology team:

-- SpaceX may soon file for an IPO. Why EchoStar and other space stocks are rising.

-- Arm's stock nabs another upgrade. It's never been this loved by analysts.

-- As Meta sheds $119 billion in market cap, has the stock become 'uninvestable'?

-- Intel's stock is climbing. Here's why the company's new chip launch is so significant.

Don't neglect your IRA

This might surprise you, but people with individual retirement accounts tend to be less diligent in managing them than they might be with employer-sponsored 401(k), 403(b) or similar accounts.

In the Fix My Portfolio column, Beth Pinsker offered advice on how to manage your IRA.

Should you pay for a chatbot? Which one?

Chatbots have varying strengths and weaknesses, depending on your use case.

Genna Contino looked into functionality and pricing plans for ChatGPT, Alphabet's $(GOOGL)$ Gemini and two other service to explain which chat bot might be best for you.

The stock market's hidden gems

Mark Hulbert listed 10 overlooked stocks that have been strong performers with low price volatility.

More from Hulbert: These 16 stocks are a short seller's dream - likely losers no matter what the market does

And a warning from Lawrence McMillan: Stock traders are wary of this market - and retail investors should be, too

How to save money on gasoline

Don't Short Yourself - MarketWatch's new weekly newsletter - offers smart tips to help you earn and grow your money.

In this week's Don't Short Yourself newsletter, Weston Blasi shared several tips on how to save money on gas and a MarketWatch reader shared his own money-saving idea.

What if you are receiving Social Security disability benefits but are nearing retirement age?

In the Help Me Retire column Alessandra Malito answered this question to help a 66-year-old reader receiving Social Security disability payments understand how to maximize her retirement benefits.

Why not consider an annuity as you plan for retirement?

You have probably heard of the "4% rule," which is that if you are retired and withdraw 4% annually from your savings - assuming it is reasonably invested - you most likely won't outlive your money.

But Brett Arends explained that much more income is available with annuities. Here are the details.

The Moneyist and Medicaid

Quentin Fottrell is the Moneyist.

Nursing homes are expensive, and the tab is typically not picked up by a state Medicaid program unless the resident has essentially run out of money. Quentin Fottrell - the Moneyist - helped a reader whose brother needs to enter a nursing home but doesn't want to spend down all of his assets before Medicaid begins covering the cost. The rules can be complicated.

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How a conflict can highlight long-term investment opportunities

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