How Hurricanes Harvey And Irma Have Impacted The Stock Market

• (0:30) - Hurricane Impact On The Stock Market
• (2:00) - Oil and Gas Prices On The Rise
• (5:45) - Airlines, Cruise Lines and Travel Sites Take a Hit
• (9:00) - Evacuations and Closures Effect On Restaurant Stocks
• (13:00) - Insurance Industry: Who's Footing The Bill?
• (17:00) - Episode Roundup: Podcast@Zacks.com

On today’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson take on this week’s biggest stories, including the impact that Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma have already had on the stock market.

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The hosts start with a look at the energy sector. Given the Gulf region’s importance to the domestic oil industry, it makes sense that the storms would introduce some volatility. Maddy and Ryan not only discussed the effect that the hurricanes have had on oil and gas prices, but also explained why an event like a refinery shutdown causes price fluctuation.

Next, the hosts dove into the discretionary spending sector. Not surprisingly, airline stocks—especially United (NYSE:UAL) , whose second-largest hub is in Houston—have been moving lower. What’s more, restaurants with a large presence in Florida—like Fiesta Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FRGI) , which houses 37% of its stores in the state—were also hammered this week.

Finally, Maddy and Ryan investigated the enormous effect that Harvey and Irma have already had on the insurance industry. Tickers like HCI Group (NYSE:HCI) , Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) , and Heritage Insurance (NYSE:HRTG) , among many others, were all battered this week.

For more coverage on the impact of these hurricanes, check out some of our other reporting:

· Hurricane Irma Hammers Travel Stocks

· As Hurricane Irma Gets Stronger, Restaurant Stocks Get Weaker

· Hurricane Irma Hits Airline Stocks

· Hurricane Irma: These Insurance Stocks Have the Most Exposure to Florida

Finally, we want to extend our thoughts and well-wishes to everyone affected by Harvey, and as Irma approaches the continental U.S., we hope all of our listeners in the area are safe!

As a reminder, if you feel that we missed something, or if you want us to cover a different story, shoot us an email at podcast@zacks.com. Make sure to check out all of our other audio content at zacks.com/podcast, and remember to subscribe and leave us a rating on iTunes.

As always, thanks for listening to this episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, and check back for even more news from the investment and financial world!

Want more stock market analysis from this author? Make sure to follow @Ryan_McQueeney on Twitter!

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