European and Asian stocks fell on Monday after the United States warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen as soon as this week.
As markets opened in Europe, London’s FTSE 100 was down 1.9%, while Germany’s DAX 30 and France’s CAC 40 plummeted 3.1% and 3.2%, respectively.
Investors in Asia were equally jittery, as Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed down 2.2%, while South Korea’s Kospi was down 1.6% at the end of the trading day.
Chinese markets saw losses, too, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 1%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.4%.
US futures also pointed down, with Nasdaq futures, S&P 500 futures and Dow futures tracking 0.8%, 0.7% and 0.6% lower, respectively.
Brent crude futures were trading at $94.22 a barrel — after starting the year at $78.11 — as worries mount that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could disrupt energy supplies. European natural gas and electricity prices spiked.
This weekend, US President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin during a call that the United States and its allies will respond “decisively and impose swift and severe costs” on Russia in the event of an invasion.
