Crude sinks as Trump delays decision on Iran strike

Oil prices fell Friday, with benchmark Brent crude sinking below $100 per barrel for the first time in six months. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks traded choppily as investors looked ahead to a busy week of earnings reports and digested mixed economic data.

The price drop was primarily due to growing concerns over the potential impact on global supplies if the United States joins Israel's strikes against Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he would consider whether or not to launch airstrikes within the next two weeks, according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The president has yet to make a final decision and is weighing all options before making any decisions regarding military action in Iran.

In other news, investors also grappled with mixed economic data from China and Europe. Reports showed that the world's second-largest economy grew at its slowest pace since 1990 last year due partly to trade tensions between China and America. In contrast, Germany experienced stronger-than-expected growth in the fourth quarter of 2018 despite concerns about Brexit.

In addition to global geopolitical risk factors like those involving Iran and China’s economic slowdowns, investors were looking ahead toward this week's earnings season for clues about corporate profits—and potential market implications thereof .

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.