U.S. stocks show little reaction to Trump's extraordinary Venezuela action. Why investors see a bull case

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A trader works connected the level of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) aft the opening doorbell successful New York connected Jan. 2, 2026.

Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images

The stock marketplace showed small reaction to President Donald Trump's extraordinary action successful Venezuela arsenic investors stake the attack, arsenic good arsenic the seizure of person Nicolas Maduro, would not pb to a bigger geopolitical conflict.

S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures were higher successful premarket trading Monday, up 0.3% and 0.7%, respectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was past astir flat.

Energy stocks helped assistance the market, arsenic traders expect the takeover of Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven lipid reserves, volition payment lipid and state companies. Chevron, which already has an established beingness successful the country, rallied much than 7%. Shares of Exxon Mobil climbed much than 4%.

Geopolitical shocks historically person small lasting interaction connected the banal market. And, what's more, investors expect the onslaught volition not escalate further fixed Trump's anterior criticisms of conflicts drawn retired successful Iran and Afghanistan. Additionally, immoderate improvement of Venezuela's lipid infrastructure volition beryllium taken arsenic a semipermanent story, with small contiguous marketplace impact.

"While volatility is expected arsenic the Venezuelan headlines volition predominate the landscape, the wide marketplace seems comparatively unfazed by events truthful far," said Jay Woods, main marketplace strategist astatine Freedom Capital Markets. "A speedy solution with small escalation menace has calmed immoderate capitalist jitters for now."

The lawsuit has enactment different countries connected precocious alert. One expert noted Denmark is successful "full situation mode" aft Trump acceptable his sights connected Greenland pursuing the attack. Russia's reaction to the ouster of Maduro has been cautious.

Still, others agreed the important geopolitical lawsuit is improbable to beryllium a large marketplace mover. Over the weekend, Evercore ISI's Matthew Aks noted that Venezuela's existent lipid exports are tiny and immoderate efforts to make the country's infrastructure volition play retired implicit the longer term. He added that Trump's threats should beryllium taken much arsenic a negotiating tactic.

"Trump's connection astir the U.S. moving Venezuela is getting a batch of attention, but we bash not expect immoderate contiguous large-scale U.S. subject action," Aks said. "Rather, we construe it arsenic a colorful metaphor and negotiating maneuver intended to support unit connected the remnants of the Maduro authorities to cede powerfulness voluntarily."

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