Russia’s invasion of Ukraine saw investors scrambling for the safety of gold and the protection of inflation hedges as weeks of brinkmanship came to a head on Thursday.

US President Joe Biden’s administration is set to roll out Thursday new steps to boost domestic production of key materials and address supply chain problems that have contributed to soaring prices over the past year.

The price of wheat smashed its previous record high in European trading on Thursday as Russia invaded Ukraine, putting a question mark on the future of exports from two of the world’s biggest producers of the key commodity.

The European Union is unlikely at this stage to take steps to cut Russia off from the SWIFT global interbank payments system as it works on a new package of sanctions against Moscow for its action against Ukraine, several EU sources said.

European Union leaders will impose new sanctions on Russia, freezing its assets, halting its banks' access to European financial markets and targeting "Kremlin interests" over its "barbaric attack" on Ukraine, senior officials said on Thursday.

Global stocks and US bond yields dived on Thursday, while the dollar, gold and oil prices rocketed higher as Russian forces fired missiles at several Ukrainian cities and landed troops on its south coast.

The United Arab Emirates is ploughing money into drones, robots and other unmanned weaponry as autonomous warfare becomes more and more widespread -- including in attacks on the Gulf country by Yemeni rebels.

US consumer confidence fell for the second straight month in February, a survey said Tuesday, as Americans’ feelings about the economy’s present and future health cooled.

If Russia further invades Ukraine, the Biden administration could deprive it of a vast swath of low- and high-tech US and foreign-made goods, from commercial electronics and computers to semiconductors and aircraft parts, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) office said on Tuesday it opposed Canada’s plan to enact a digital services tax (DST) and urged Canada to abandon plans for such a step.

Germany’s cabinet on Wednesday approved an increase in the minimum wage to 12 euros ($13.60) per hour, a flagship election campaign promise of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats.

US home prices in 2021 saw their biggest increase in at least 34 years, according to data released Tuesday, as buyers spent the year snapping up homes and builders struggled to keep up.

The United States is poised to unleash a wider array of sanctions against Russia if Moscow escalates the conflict in Ukraine, denying key Russian financial institutions and companies access to US dollar transactions and global markets for trade, energy exports and financing. read more

Oil prices surged close to $100 per barrel Tuesday as major crude producer Russia prepared to send troops into two breakaway regions of Ukraine, sparking Western nations to ready economic sanctions against Moscow.

Stock markets tumbled on Tuesday while bonds and commodities rallied after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine.

Nickel surged Monday to the highest price in more than 10 years, driven by simmering Ukraine-Russia tensions and tight supplies.

China has placed Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Technologies Corp under sanctions over arms sales to Taiwan, the government said on Monday, at least the third time it has announced punishments against the US companies.

The Russian finance ministry said Monday it had submitted draft legislation regulating cryptocurrencies, including client identification and a cap on investments.

There is a silver lining to Turkey’s currency crisis and the global supply chain crunch: The country is becoming an attractive alternative at the gates of Europe for foreign firms.

Kuwait Airways announced Monday an expanded $6 billion deal with Airbus for 31 planes, restructuring an agreement reached in 2014. q