Stocks lost ground in early trading Tuesday, while oil prices moved higher, as investors monitored developments in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and digested disappointing economic data.

The initial round of Israeli attacks sent oil prices 7 percent higher on Friday. Still, at about $74 a barrel, Brent crude remains below the $80 average for 2024, the Deutsche Bank analysts wrote. The market continued to waver, though, and by Monday, oil prices had fallen about 3 percent.

The dramatic escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran caused a spike in the price of crude and raised fears among oil traders about disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital waterways.