GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks edge lower as markets remain cautious, with gold prices at new highs

(Updates with U.S. markets, adds analyst comment) By Chibuike Oguh NEW YORK, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Global equity markets were lower on Monday as investors hedged their positions amid rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainty over the U.S. presidential election, even as gold prices reach new highs. The Israeli military is continuing its attacks against Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, with hundreds of Beirut residents fleeing their homes late on Sunday as explosions rocked the Lebanese capital. Gold prices surged to a record high on Monday and were up 0.07% to $2,722.16 an ounce XAU= . All three main Wall Street indexes were trading lower, with defensive stocks, including real estate and consumer discretionary stocks, among the leading drags on the benchmark S&P 500 index .SPX . The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 0.76% to 42,946.87, the S&P 500 .SPX fell 0.54% to 5,832.71 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC fell 0.42% to 18,412.33. The European shares .STOXX index was also down, 0.61%, while MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS fell 0.61% to 851.51. "I think between the combination of escalating or still-high Middle East tensions and we're only a handful of days away from the (Nov. 5 U.S. election), it could be that the market is getting nervous ahead of that and people are squaring some of their positions," said Wasif Latif, president and chief investment officer at Sarmaya Partners. Oil prices gained following a more than 7% drop last week. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were last up 0.85% at $73.68 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 rose 1.1% to $69.91. To read Reuters Markets and Finance news, click on https://www.reuters.com/finance/markets For the state of play of Asian stock markets please click on: 0#.INDEXA (Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis) ((mailto:[email protected]; +332-219-1834; Reuters Messaging: rm://[email protected]/))