Stock Futures Lower Again as North Korea Tensions Intensify

New York (Aug 10)  Stock futures were trading lower on Thursday, Aug. 10, as the threat of conflict with North Korea continued to percolate.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 0.23%, S&P 500 futures fell 0.4%, and Nasdaq futures slid 0.66%.

In more back-and-forth between President Trump and North Korea, Pyongyang General Kim Rak Gyom, leader of the country's strategic forces, said that "sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason and only absolute force can work on [Trump]". The general also outlined plans to launch four Hwasong-12 ballistic missiles to strike the sea around U.S. territory Guam.

Plans are being drawn up and will be ready by the middle of August. The country previously threatened a further "all-out war, wiping out all the strongholds of enemies, including the U.S. mainland" in a government statement.

Tensions between North Korea and the U.S. have intensified in recent days after Trump warned of severe retribution should the authoritarian state proceed with any more missile tests or threats. In a statement delivered at his Bedminster, N.J., golf club on Tuesday, Trump said, "North Korea best not make any more threats to the U.S. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that one of his first orders as president was to "renovate and modernize" the nuclear arsenal.

Trump's comments followed reports that North Korea had successfully produced a nuclear warhead that could be fitted inside its missiles. The U.N. Security Council unanimously voted on Saturday to impose new sanctions on North Korea after several missile tests.

TheStreet