Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The major averages trade in a tight range near session highs at midday. 

The industrials sector (+0.7%) has ticked steadily higher throughout the session in tandem with the broader market. Defense names, such as Boeing (BA 215.19, +6.92, +3.32%), Axon (AXON 581.00, +17.72, +3.15%), and Huntington Ingalls (HII 332.12, +9.49, +2.94%), dot the top of the sector's standings. President Trump told NBC News last night that he is not ruling out a war with Venezuela after ordering a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the country earlier in the week. 

The iShares Aerospace and Defense ETF (+2.6%) holds a solid gain as a result.