In Asian Equity Markets stocks came under renewed pressure on Wednesday and the price of oil rose past $110 per barrel as investors fretted about the impact of aggressive sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.46 percent with China’s blue-chip CSI300 index 1.05 percent lower. Japan’s Nikkei fell 1.81 percent. In Australia, the benchmark ASX 200 index was 0.2 percent higher despite the risk-off mood elsewhere as rising commodity prices lifted miners’ shares.

In Currency Markets the dollar was down on Wednesday morning in Asia, but the moves were small. Investors flocking to safe-haven assets as Russia’ invasion into Ukraine intensified. The US Dollar Index that tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies inched down 0.01 percent to 97.382. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar inched up 0.09 percent to 115.00. The euro was last down 0.8 percent on the day after diving to its lowest since June 2020. The Aussie dollar pair was up 0.45 percent to $0.7280, while the kiwi dollar was up 0.37 percent to $0.6781.

In US Equity Markets stocks ended sharply lower on Tuesday, with financial stocks bearing much of the damage for a second straight day as the Russia-Ukraine crisis deepened and stirred anxiety among investors. The Dow fell 1.76 percent to end at 33,294.95 points, while the S&P 500 lost 1.55 percent to 4,306.24. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.59 percent to 13,532.46. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 3.6 percent, with Advanced Micro Devices falling 7.7 percent. Defense stocks added to recent gains, with Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman rallying over 3 percent.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose on Wednesday as sanctions on Russian banks following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine hampered trade finance for crude shipments and some traders opted to avoid Russian supplies in an already tight market. Brent crude futures climbed 3.4 percent, to $108.52 a barrel. U.S. WTI crude futures were up 3.6 percent, to $107.16. Gold jumped 1.8 percent to $1,941.51 per ounce as the crisis drove investors to safe-haven assets. Spot silver rose 3.9 percent to $25.38 per ounce and platinum gained 0.9 percent at $1,052.84. Palladium was up 3.4 percent at $2,572.23.

In European Equity Markets stocks fell on Tuesday, kicking off March on a dour note on weak earnings reports and jitters over the Ukraine crisis as Russia raged on with its attack after ceasefire talks between the two nations failed to reach a breakthrough. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 1.7 percent, but a rally in healthcare and miners helped limit losses. Italy’s financials-heavy benchmark sank 4.1 percent as banks lost 6.8 percent, while a slide in luxury names saw France’s CAC 40 decrease 3.9 percent and hit over five-month lows. Germany’s DAX index slid 3.9 percent.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields fell to eight-week lows on Tuesday as Russia’s attack on Ukraine accelerated, boosting demand for safe haven debt, and on concerns that rising commodity prices will weigh on growth. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields fell to 1.682 percent, the lowest since Jan. 5, before rebounding to 1.717 percent. The yield curve between two-year and 10-year notes steepened one basis point to 40 basis points.Breakeven rates on five-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), which reflect expected annual inflation, rose to 3.11 percent, from 3.04 percent on Monday.