In Asian Equity Markets stocks fell and safe haven assets such as gold rose on Tuesday, as investors contemplated the implications of a potential imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.5 percent after stock markets in the United States and Europe lost ground on Monday. Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.91 percent while in Australia, the S&P/ASX200 closed down 0.51 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slid 1.1 percent although China’s CSI300 Index bucked the sell-off across the region and was up 0.7 percent.

In Currency Markets the euro edged up a little in Asian trading but was still nursing bruises after two sessions of sharp losses as tensions in Eastern Europe pushed demand for the dollar and the safe-haven yen. The euro was at $1.1320, up 0.12 percent on Tuesday, having touched $1.1278 the day before, its lowest in a week-and-a-half, while the yen was at 115.4 per dollar, after briefly hitting 114.99 on Monday, its strongest in a week. Elsewhere, sterling was steady at $1.354 and the Australian dollar was little changed at $0.7129.

In US Equity Markets stocks were mixed in volatile trading on Monday amid concerns about higher interest rates, while comments from a Russian official eased worries about a possible invasion on Ukraine. The Dow was down 0.47 percent, at 34,575.58 and the S&P 500 was down 0.12 percent, at 4,413.45. The Nasdaq Composite was up 0.41 percent, at 13,847.79 on gains in shares of chipmakers Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices and Tesla Inc. Advanced Micro Devices rose 3 percent as the semiconductor designer finalized the purchase of Xilinx Inc in a record chip industry deal valued at about $50 billion.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose over 2 percent on Monday to their highest in more than seven years as Ukraine’s president declared a “day of unity” for Feb. 16, a date that some Western media have cited as a possible start of a Russian invasion. Brent crude rose 2.2 percent, to settle at $96.48 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 2.5 percent, to settle at $95.46 a barrel. Spot gold was 0.4 percent higher at $1,866.90 per ounce. Palladium gained 1.7 percent to $2,345.86 per ounce. Silver rose 1 percent to $23.81 per ounce, while platinum was little changed at $1,027.02.

In European Equity Markets stocks ended at their lowest level in 20 days on Monday, with travel and banking leading the slump as investors fretted over geopolitical risks following warnings that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time. The Europe-wide STOXX 600 index fell 1.8 percent. Airlines were also hit hard, with shares of WizzAir, British Airways-owner IAG, Germany’s Lufthansa and Air France KLM down between 3.3 percent and 6.3 percent. Commerzbank fell 2.7 percent after Germany’s finance minister said the government would not keep its stake in the lender in the long run.

In Bond Markets benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields rose in choppy trading on Monday with investors keeping close tabs on the escalation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was up 3.6 basis points to 1.988 percent after touching a high of 2.026 percent. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was up 3.7 basis points to 2.292 percent. The breakeven rate on five-year U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) was last at 2.886 percent, after closing at 2.82 percent on Friday.