In Asian Equity Markets stocks sagged on Monday as warnings that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time sent oil prices to seven-year peaks, boosted bonds and belted the euro. The cautious mood saw MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan decrease 1.4 percent. Japan’s Nikkei lost 2.2 percent. The CSI300 index fell 0.7 percent to 4,569.70 by the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.6 percent to 3,441.23. The Hang Seng index fell 1.3 percent to 24,594.21. The Hong Kong China Enterprises Index lost 1.7 percent to 8,634.90.

In Currency Markets the dollar was up on Monday morning in Asia, but losses were minimal as safe-haven currencies held gains and riskier ones struggled to hold onto them. Investors also remained concerned about potential conflict in Eastern Europe, alongside soaring inflation. The U.S. Dollar Index inched up 0.01 percent to 96.082. Against Japanese yen, the dollar inched up 0.06 percent to 115.48. The Aussie dollar pair was down 0.24 percent to $0.7118. The kiwi dollar was down 0.38 percent to $0.6622. Sterling edged down 0.13 percent to $1.3542.

In US Equity Markets stocks ended sharply lower on Friday for the second straight session, as investors fretted about deepening tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The Dow fell 1.43 percent to end at 34,738.06 points, while the S&P 500 lost 1.90 percent at 4,418.64. The Nasdaq Composite fell 2.78 percent to 13,791.15. Under Armour Inc fell 12.5 percent after warning that its profit margin would be under pressure in the current quarter. Online real-estate platform Zillow Group Inc rose 12.7 percent after beating Wall Street estimates for quarterly sales.

In Commodities Markets oil prices ended 3 percent higher on Friday at fresh seven-year highs as escalating fears of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a top energy producer, added to concerns over tight global crude supplies. Brent crude futures settled 3.3 percent, higher at $94.44 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 3.6 percent, to $93.10 a barrel. Spot gold rose 1.6 percent to $1,855.17 per ounce. Silver rose 1.3 percent to $23.48 per ounce, platinum gained 0.4 percent to $1,030.49 and palladium climbed 2.9 percent to $2,320.18.

In European Equity Markets stocks fell on Friday after red-hot U.S. inflation drove up bond yields, although a positive earnings season and strong commodity prices helped the STOXX 600 log its first weekly gain this year. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed 0.6 percent lower, but added 1.6 percent this week, its best since late-December. Among a few bright spots, Mercedes-Benz Cars and Vans advanced 6.7 percent after saying it expects an adjusted return on sales of 12.7 percent in 2021. BMW rose 2.7 percent after it said it will pay 3.7 billion euros to take majority control of its Chinese joint venture.

In Bond Markets U.S. Treasury yields fell on Friday, with the benchmark 10-year yield falling back below 2 percent as concerns over a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia dented risk appetite. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was down 8 basis points to 1.949 percent on Friday. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was down 4.3 basis points to 2.259 percent after reaching 2.353 percent, its highest since May 20. The breakeven rate on five-year U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) was last at 2.781 percent, after closing at 2.754 percent on Thursday.