U.S. securities markets were slightly to moderately lower in afternoon trading Thursday after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shock waves through global financial markets earlier in the day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Index was nearly 2% lower, while the S&P 500 Index was down more than 1%. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite Index was 0.23% lower.

London’s benchmark FTSE Index closed nearly 4% lower, as did the CAC-40 Index in Paris and Frankfurt’s DAX Index.

Markets in Asia and Australia all closed in negative territory in the aftermath of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei Index lost 1.8%. The Composite in Shanghai fell 1.7%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index plunged 3.2%. South Korea’s KOSPI Index lost 2.6%, and the TSEC in Taiwan finished 2.5% lower.

The Sensex in Mumbai plummeted 4.7%.

Meanwhile, commodities were surging Thursday, with gold selling at $1,925.30 per ounce, up nearly 1%. U.S. crude oil was selling at $96.51 per barrel, up nearly 5%, and Brent crude oil soared 8.4%, selling at $103.10 per barrel, the first time it sold above the $100 mark since 2014.

Source: Voice of America