In Asian Equity Markets the Nikkei index pared big early losses but was still markedly lower by the midday break on Monday, as investors took a degree of comfort from news of a potential summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The Nikkei index ended the morning down 0.72 percent at 26,926.01. The CSI300 index fell 0.6 percent to 4,621.83 at the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.4 percent to 3,478.17. The Hang Seng index fell 0.7 percent to 24,155.05 points.

In Currency Markets the dollar was down on Monday morning in Asia, with currency markets monitoring the ongoing tensions over Ukraine. The safe-haven yen was not far from a two-week high while the euro was on edge as investors calculated the energy security and economic implications for Europe in the event of a Russian invasion.  The U.S. Dollar Index was down 0.21 percent to 95.820. The euro climbed 0.35 percent higher to $1.1362 after it lost some ground in early trade. Sterling gained 0.19 percent to $1.3623. Against Japanese yen, the dollar was down 0.03 percent to 114.97.

In US Equity Markets stocks ended lower on Friday after escalating tensions in Ukraine and U.S. warnings of a potential Russian invasion prompted investors to dump risky assets in the run-up to a long weekend. The Dow fell 0.68 percent to end at 34,079.18 points, while the S&P 500 lost 0.72 percent to 4,348.87. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.23 percent to 13,548.07. Intel Corp fell 5.3 percent to its lowest since 2020 after the chipmaker’s turnaround pitch failed to impress investors worried about its loss of market share.

In Commodities Markets oil prices ended the week mixed on Friday as investors weighed a potential supply disruption resulting from the Russia-Ukraine crisis against the prospect of increased Iranian oil exports. Brent crude futures settled 0.6 percent, higher at $93.54 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude ended down 0.5 percent, at $91.07 a barrel. Spot gold was down 0.1 percent at $1,896.04 per ounce. Elsewhere, palladium fell 1.2 percent to $2,339.12 per ounce. Platinum was down 1.7 percent at $1,071.01. Silver rose 0.6 percent to $23.96 and was on track for a weekly gain.

In European Equity Markets stocks ended lower on Friday and fell nearly 2 percent this week with travel and banking shares leading the declines over caution around rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine ahead of the weekend. The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.8 percent and lost 1.9 percent for the week with travel and banking shares the top weekly losers. Luxury group Hermes fell 4.1 percent after its fourth-quarter sales grew a touch below market expectations and self-imposed production caps meant the group could not keep up with demand for its handbags.

In Bond Markets treasury yields fell on Friday as concerns about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine dented risk appetite and boosted demand for safe haven bonds. Benchmark 10-year yields fell four basis points to 1.930 percent, the lowest since Monday. The yield curve between two-year and 10-year notes flattened to 45 basis points, after reaching 54 basis points on Thursday. The curve has steepened since reaching 38 basis points on Monday, which was the smallest yield gap since July 2020.