Panic over war and disaster is quietly good for a handful of businesses, and that's worth knowing before you act on the next scary headline.

• Fear grabs attention, and attention is what advertisers pay for, so scary content gets pushed harder online.
• Fear also drives sales directly — during the 2017 North Korea scare, one emergency food company said its sales doubled.
• The real money isn't in $100 survival kits, it's in big defense and infrastructure contracts, like Fortress supplying micro grids, battery storage and portable nuclear reactors to hundreds of bases, worth billions over many years.
• Defense contractors profit either way, since preparing for a war that never happens is still a paid business.
• Some of the fear online is just algorithm-driven engagement, and some is deliberately pushed by people who profit from it.

Outlook: Expect fear-based headlines and "prepare now" marketing to keep showing up whenever geopolitical tension rises, regardless of whether the feared event actually happens.