Defense and energy stocks dominated the list of premarket gainers on the S&P 500 Friday, after U.S. missile strikes against a Syrian airbase overnight. The news sent oil prices to $52.80 a barrel, up 2.1% in the Globex electronic session, while June Brent crude on London’s ICE Futures exchange rose 1.9% to $55.94. Prices often jump when tensions rise in the Middle East, where almost 40% of the world’s crude oil is produced. Raytheon Corp. , the maker of the Tomahawk missiles that were used in the attack, led the gainers with a 2.4% rise. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. jumped 1.8%, Lockheed Martin Corp. rose 1.8% and Chesapeake Energy Corp. was up 1.4%. S&P 500 futures were flat.
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