Stocks Tumble; Oil, Wheat Prices Soar After Ukraine Attack

February 24, 2022by Stan Choe, Associated Press
Stocks Tumble; Oil, Wheat Prices Soar After Ukraine Attack
The New York Stock Exchange is seen in New York, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks tumbled worldwide on Thursday after Russia’s attack of Ukraine sent fear coursing through markets and upped the pressure on the high inflation already squeezing the global economy.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 sank 1.6% in early trading to continue its dismal start of the year. The benchmark is index is now down 13.5% from its record set early this year. Stocks in Europe sank even more after officials called Russia’s moves a “brutal act of war,” with the German DAX down nearly 5%.

Beyond its human toll, the conflict looks set to send prices spiraling even higher at gasoline pumps and grocery stores around the world. Russia and Ukraine are major producers not only of energy products but also grains and various other commodities. War could upend global supplies, as could sanctions brought by the United States and other allies.

Oil prices on both sides of the Atlantic jumped toward or above $100 per barrel to their highest levels since 2014, up more than 6%. Wholesale prices also shot higher for heating oil, wheat and other commodities. The spot price in Europe for natural gas, for which the continent relies on Russia to supply, jumped as much as 31%.

Increases in energy and food prices could amplify worries about inflation, which in January hit its hottest level in the United States in a couple generations, and what the Federal Reserve will do in turn to rein it in. The Fed looks certain to remove the super-low interest rates that investors love, which also helped catapult financial markets and the economy out of their coronavirus-caused plunge. The only question has been how quickly and how aggressively the Fed will move.

Bond yields sank around the world, a sign that investors were scrambling into anything that may offer safer returns than stocks and other riskier bets. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury fell to 1.89% from 1.97% late Wednesday. Gold also rallied and climbed 2.4%, continuing its strong run on worries about Russia and Ukraine.

On Wall Street, worries about higher interest rates have delivered the heaviest hits on big technology stocks, a turnaround after those companies soared to lead Wall Street out of its coronavirus-caused plummet in 2020.

The Nasdaq composite, which is full of big tech stocks, sank 1.5% and could close more than 20% below its record set on Nov. 19, 2021. If it does, that’s something Wall Street calls a “bear market,” something that hasn’t happened for the Nasdaq since the coronavirus first crashed the global economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 647 points, or 2%, to 32,490.

Financial markets are in a “flight to safety and may have to price in slower growth” due to high energy costs, Chris Turner and Francesco Pesole of ING said in a report.

In Brussels, the president of the European Commission said Thursday the 27-nation European Union planned “massive and targeted sanctions” on Russia.

“We will hold President Putin accountable,” Ursula von der Leyen said.

The FTSE 100 in London fell 3.1% after Europe awakened to news of explosions in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the major city of Kharkiv and other areas. The CAC 40 in Paris lost 4%.

Moscow’s stock exchange briefly suspended trading on all its markets on Thursday morning. After trading resumed, the ruble-denominated MOEX stock index tumbled more than 20% and the dollar-denominated RTS index plunged by more than a third.

Some analysts expect the conflict to push investors out of many tech stocks, with the exception of the cybersecurity sector.

“Growing concern that massive cyber warfare could be on the near-term horizon which would certainly catalyze an increase in spending around preventing sophisticated Russian-based cyber attacks,” analysts with Wedbush Securities wrote in a note to clients.

Putin said Russia had to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine, a claim Washington had predicted he would make to justify an invasion.

President Joe Biden denounced the attack as “unprovoked and unjustified” and said Moscow would be held accountable, which many took to mean Washington and its allies would impose additional sanctions. Putin accused them of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and to offer Moscow security guarantees.

Washington, Britain, Japan and the EU earlier imposed sanctions on Russian banks, officials and business leaders. Additional options include barring Russia from the global system for bank transactions.

___

AP Business Writer Joe McDonald contributed.

A+
a-
  • invasion
  • Nasdaq
  • NATO
  • oil prices
  • Russia
  • Ukraine
  • Wall Street
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Wall Street

    Trump's Social Media Company Will Go Public After Merger With Shell Company Approved

    NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is returning to the stock market. Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a publicly... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump is returning to the stock market. Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded shell company, approved a deal to merge with the former president’s media business in a Friday vote. That means Trump Media & Technology Group, whose... Read More

    Inflation Slowed Further in December as Economic 'Soft Landing' Moves Into Sharper Focus

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge cooled further last month even as the economy kept growing briskly, a... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge cooled further last month even as the economy kept growing briskly, a trend sure to be welcomed at the White House as President Joe Biden seeks re-election in a race that could pivot on his economic stewardship. Friday’s... Read More

    Americans' Economic Outlook Brightens as Inflation Slows and Wages Outpace Prices

    WASHINGTON (AP) — After an extended period of gloom, Americans are starting to feel better about inflation and the economy —... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — After an extended period of gloom, Americans are starting to feel better about inflation and the economy — a trend that could sustain consumer spending, fuel economic growth and potentially affect President Joe Biden's political fortunes. A measure of consumer sentiment by the University of Michigan has... Read More

    Storied US Steel to Be Acquired for Over $14B by Nippon Steel

    U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh steel producer that played a key role in the nation's industrialization, is being acquired by Nippon... Read More

    U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh steel producer that played a key role in the nation's industrialization, is being acquired by Nippon Steel in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $14.1 billion. The transaction is worth about $14.9 billion when including the assumption of debt. The combined company... Read More

    Wall Street Rises on Hopes for Rate Cuts, as Dow Ticks Toward Another Record

    NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher Thursday following its big rally the day before on excitement that... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher Thursday following its big rally the day before on excitement that several cuts to interest rates may indeed be coming next year. The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in morning trading and within 1.5% of its all-time... Read More

    Wall Street Rises After Corporate Profits Top Forecasts and Oil Prices Sink

    NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is rising Tuesday after Verizon, General Electric and other big companies reported fatter profits... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is rising Tuesday after Verizon, General Electric and other big companies reported fatter profits for the summer than expected. The S&P 500 was 0.8% higher in midday trading and on track to break a five-day losing streak. The Dow Jones... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top