As the U.S. Government was reportedly sending additional troops to the Mideast, after killing a top Iranian leader, fear of Iran's asymmetric warfare tactics spread. The Standard & Poor's 500 stock index closed slightly lower than yesterday's 3,257.85 all-time high, ending on Friday at 3,234.85.

Here's why: The U.S. economy is expected to grow 2% after inflation in 2020.

That's not roaring growth, but the Fed's projections as of December 11th, 2019 were realistic and make it likely that the 10½-year old expansion will continue despite the new foreign crisis.