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US equity markets modestly weaker as new sanctions imposed on Russia reverberated through financial markets - Dow down -166-points or -0.49%, paring an earlier. JPMorgan Chase & Co (down -4.17%) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (-2.52%) combined to knock ~100-points off the Dow. Nike Inc (down-1.62%), Visa Inc (-1.44%), and Procter & Gamble (-1.49%) also weighed heavily on the index. A US$1 move in any of the Dow's 30 components equates to a 6.59-point swing. The broader S&P500 -0.24%, with more than >70% of index constituents in the red. Real Estate (down -1.77%), Financials (-1.46%), Consumer Staples (-1.32%) and Materials (-1.18%) all falling over >1%. Energy sat atop the primary sector leaderboard with a +2.57% gain. Tesla Inc rallied +7.48% following reports out of Germany indicating that the company is close to receiving approvals to begin commercial production at its new factory outside of Berlin. A late session rally lifted the technology-centric Nasdaq +0.41%, rebounding from an earlier loss of as much as -1.1%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +0.35%.

US equity markets rallied on Friday (25 February) as war in Ukraine raged, with investors watching for signs that the conflict with Russia would be contained to the two countries - Dow jumped +835-points or +2.51%, notching its best daily gain since early November 2020. Johnson & Johnson (up +%) and 3M Co (+%). The broader S&P500 +2.24%. Etsy Inc soared +16.21% after the online marketplace’s quarterly results beat analyst estimates. The Nasdaq +1.64%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 +2.25%.

US equity markets staged a impressive comeback from steep declines earlier in the session, with the technology-centric Nasdaq registering its biggest intraday swing since the throes of the pandemic in March 2020 - Dow up +92-points or +0.28%, erasing an earlier -859-point/-2.6% drop The broader S&P500 gained +1.50%, recovering from an earlier session slide of as much as -2.6%. Information Technology (up +3.47%) and Communication Services (+3.13%) leading the fight back with gains of over >3%. Consumer Staples (down -1.71%) and Financials (-1.17%) were the laggard primary sectors. The Nasdaq rebounded +3.34%, rallying back from an earlier ~3.5% slump. The technology-centric index opened the session in bear market territory, down more than >20% from its record peak in November. Netflix Inc rose +6.14%, Microsoft Corp +5.11%, Alphabet Inc +4.00% and Meta Platforms Inc +4.61%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +2.64%.

The Dow and S&P500 extended losses into a fifth consecutive session following a late-session sell-off as escalating tensions dragged the benchmark indices to fresh 2022 lows - Dow down -465-points or -1.38%, just avoiding falling into official correction territory. The broader S&P500 pushed further into official correction territory, falling -1.84% and unwinding an earlier rally of as much as +0.9%. Consumer Discretionary (down 3.42%) and Information Technology (-2.56%) led ten of the eleven primary sectors lower. Energy (up +1.01%) was the only primary sector to advance. The technology-centric Nasdaq shed -2.57%, with e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc down 3.58%, and Apple Inc -2.59%. The Dow and Nasdaq closed below their 24 January intra-day lows of 33,150.33 and 4,222.62 respectively. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost 1.82%.

US equity markets resumed trading after the Presidents’ Day long weekend firmly on the backfoot as the geopolitical developments between Russia and Ukraine continued to dent investor sentiment - Dow shed -483-points or -1.42% to its lowest close since 18 June last year (33,596.61) after falling more than >700-points earlier in the session. The broader S&P500 lost -1.01% to 4,304.76, the lowest close since 4 October last year and settling in official correction territory (down just over >10% from its 3 January all-time high of 4,796.64). ~76% of index constituents declined. Consumer Discretionary (down -3.04%) led all eleven primary sectors lower. The technology-centric Nasdaq fell -1.23%. Consumer Discretionary (down 3.04%) led all eleven primary sectors lower. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 fell -1.45%.

European bourses relinquished opening gains to settle in the red, with the Automotive sector (down -2.7%) leading the pan-European Stoxx 600 index (which includes UK equities) -1.30% lower. Germany's DAX fell -2.07%. France's CAC lost -2.04%. French car parts group Faurecia SE fell -5.40% despite forecasting a rise in annual sales, adding that it expected semiconductor shortages to ease from the second half of 2022. In broader stock moves, Credit Suisse Group AG fell -3.09% after the Swiss investment bank said that it “strongly rejects” allegations published following a coordinated global media investigation into a mass leak of its client data over previous decades. The leaked information was purported to contain human rights abusers and businessmen under sanctions. In economic data, a flash reading of the IHS Markit manufacturing PMI slipped to 58.4 in February from a final reading of 58.7 in January, below economists’ forecast for an unchanged reading. The eurozone services PMI rose to a five month high of 55.8 in February from 51.1 in January, better than economists’ forecasts for a reading of 52.0. The services business expectations index climbed to 68.7 in February from 67.2. The readings saw a flash reading of the Composite PMI jump to a five-month high of 55.8 in February from 52.3 in January, significantly above median economists forecasts for 52.7. The German producer price index (PPI) rose at its fastest rate since modern records began in January, printing at 25% year-on-year versus 24.2% in December. Energy prices continue to make the biggest upward contribution, up +66.7%. The German Ifo Business Climate index for February is released tonight AEST.

US equity markets weaker after another volatile session ahead the long weekend that saw tensions between Russia and Ukraine intensify and trillions of dollars in options and futures on stocks, indexes and exchange traded funds (ETF) expire - Dow down -233-points or -0.68%, with Intel Corp (down -5.32%) the biggest index laggard as Bank of America reiterated an ‘underperform rating’ on the company. The broader S&P500 -0.72%, with Information Technology (down -1.10%) leading ten of the eleven primary sectors lower. Consumer Staples (up +0.11%) was the only primary sector to edge higher. Ford Motor Co rose +2.85% amid after Bloomberg News reported that the company is considering separating its electric-vehicle (EV) operation from its legacy car and truck manufacturing, a move seen boosting its competitiveness against singularly EV-focused makes such as Tesla Inc (down -2.21%). The technology-centric Nasdaq lost -1.23%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 fell -0.93%. Roku Inc tumbled -22.29% in after the streaming company’s issued an underwhelming outlook for the current quarter after the closing bell of the previous session. US equity and bond markets are CLOSED tonight AEST for the Presidents’ Day holiday.

Fresh fears over Russia-Ukraine drove sharp declines for US equity markets, with the technology sector once again bearing the brunt of the losses - Dow dropped -622-points or -1.78%, logging its worst single session performance for the calendar year-to-date. The broader S&P500 shed -2.12%, with 85% of the index constituents declining and the slide ranking among the five worst trading days of the past year for the benchmark index. Information Technology (down -3.06%), Communication Services (-2.96%) and Consumer Discretionary (-2.57%) all declining over >2.65% to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors lower. Consumer Staples (up +0.91%) and Utilities (+0.06%) were the only primary sectors to advance. Cisco Systems Inc gained +2.80 after the networking hardware and software posting better-than-expected fiscal second quarter numbers after the closing bell of the previous session. The technology-centric Nasdaq slumped -2.88%. Nvidia Corp fell -7.56% despite the chipmaker posting better-than-expected adjusted fourth quarter earnings per share and record revenue after the close of Wednesday’s (16 January) session. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 fell -2.37%.

US equity markets mixed as investors digested the latest Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting minutes and mixed messaging around the Russia-Ukraine tensions - Dow eased -55-points or -0.16%, paring an earlier decline of over >300-points. The broader S&P500 added +0.09%, recovering from an earlier ~0.7% fall. Energy up +0.76%) led ten of the eleven primary sectors higher, with Information Technology (down 0.17%) the only sector not to advance. ViacomCBS tumbled -17.81% to be the worst S&P500 performer overnight after the company reported lower-than-expected quarterly earnings after the close of the previous session and announced it was rebranding itself Paramount Global to focus on streaming. The Nasdaq -0.11%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 +2.76%.

US equity markets climbed sharply (as Treasury yields rose and oil prices retreated) amid signs of an easing of tensions over Ukraine, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying Moscow is ready for talks with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on limits to missile deployments in Europe following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and following a claim that Russia is pulling back some troops in the area. - Dow up +423-points or +1.22%, with Boeing Co climbing +3.66% The broader S&P500 +1.58%, with Information Technology (up +2.73%) and Consumer Discretionary (+2.08%) advancing over >2% to lead nine of the eleven primary sectors higher. Energy (down -1.39%) and Utilities (-0.55%) were the only primary sectors to settle in the red. The Nasdaq +2.53%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 +2.83%. In merger and acquisition (M&A) news, Intel Corp rose +1.81% after striking a US$5.4B deal to acquire Tower Semiconductor, as the chipmaker to bolster its manufacturing capabilities.