Iran conflicts just adds to wall of worry for U.S. stocks, says Citi strategist

Iran conflicts just adds to wall of worry for U.S. stocks, says Citi strategist While the headlines for markets are currently hogged by events in the Middle East, over the longer term AI-induced inflation might prove to be the more critical share-price driver. It all depends on timing, though. Citi’s chief U.S, equity strategist, Scott Chronert, points out that, in the last four decades, from the market perspective at least, it’s been the duration of a military conflict, and expectations for its duration, that mattered most. Continue reading your article witha MarketWatch subscription Jules Rimmer is a markets reporter in London.Rimmer spent more than 30 years as a trader and stockbroker in financial markets, starting at Salomon Brothers in the Liar's Poker era, taking in ING Barings, Jefferies and ending it in emerging markets at Investec. He hung up his headset and pivoted to journalism in 2021. Copyright © 2026 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved.