U.S. equity futures were in free-fall as uncertainty over tensions between Russia and Ukraine increased. Meanwhile, investors are anticipating news of rate hikes out of the Federal Reserve this week which could act as a further damper on stocks.
Russian troops are reportedly massing on Ukraine’s borders, as fears of an invasion are mounting. The risks are such that President Joe Biden ordered the families of diplomats to leave Kyiv, due to the “continued threat of Russian military action.”
Nasdaq was the hardest hit among the major indices. Tech stocks took a beating as investors reduced their appetite for risk, ahead of the anticipated Fed rate hikes.
This week, earnings from tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft and Tesla will have a major impact on tech stocks.
| Level | Chg. | Chg. % | |
| DOW Futures | 34,035.00 | -129 | -0.38% |
| S&P 500 Futures | 4,367.00 | -23.75 | -0.54% |
| Nasdaq Futures | 14,309.00 | -125.5 | -0.87% |
U.S. Dollar and Treasuries
Bond yields rose as investors fled to safer assets, as did the dollar.
| Price | Chg. | Chg. % | |
| U.S. Dollar Index (DXY): | 96 | +0.36 | +0.37% |
| Yield | Change | Previous close | |
| U.S. 1 Year Treasury Bill | 0.548% | 0 | 0.548% |
| U.S. 5 Year Treasury Note | 1.541% | -0.023 | 1.564% |
| U.S. 10 Year Treasury Note | 1.736% | -0.027 | 1.763% |
Stocks To Watch
Tech companies took a beating over the weekend. This includes Apple and Tesla which are posting earnings this week.
Unilever is in focus amid news that activist investor Nelson Peltz’s hedge fund Trian Fund Management is buying a stake in the company. It comes in the wake of Unilever’s failed $68-billion bid for GlaxoSmithLine.
Tesla took a particularly hard hit, sliding 3.42%. However, rival automaker Ford also slid more than 3%, after a surge fuelled by its investment in EV company Rivian.
Shares of a struggling department store Kohl’s soared as private equity investors compete for takeover. Sycamore Partners reportedly offered $65 a share for Kohl’s. That news comes after Acacia Research offered $64 per share.
Shares of exercise equipment company Pelton dropped after activist investors from Blackwells Capital called for the firing of CEO John Foley.
| Symbol | Company Name | Price | Chg. % | Volume |
| KSS | Kohl’s Corp. | $62.10 | 32.58% | 1.53M |
| AAPL | Apple Inc. | $159.91 | -1.54% | 1.19M |
| F | Ford Motor Co. | $19.91 | -3.58% | 834.28K |
| TSLA | Tesla Inc. | $906.10 | -4.00% | 791.05K |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | $224.76 | -3.84% | 766.55K |
| PLTR | Palantir Technologies Inc. | $12.90 | -4.66% | 761.34K |
| AMD | Advanced Micro Devices Inc. | $115.19 | -3.05% | 415.61K |
| PTON | Peloton Interactive Inc. | $26.32 | -2.73% | 365.53K |
Commodities To Watch
Oil prices dropped despite elevated geopolitical risks. Gold futures dropped, staying above $1,830.
| Resource | Price | Chg. % |
| WTI Crude Oil | $84.92 | -0.74% |
| Brent Crude Oil | $87.79 | -0.67% |
| Natural Gas | $3.97 | 4.50% |
| Gold | $1,836.90 | -0.31% |
| Silver | $24.06 | -2.67% |
| Copper | $4.44 | -3.13% |
Crypto
Crypto prices collapsed with other risk assets. The global crypto market cap is $1.51T, an 8.5% decrease over the last day. Bitcoin’s dominance is currently 41.79%, an increase of 0.79% over the same period.
| Currency | Symbol | Price | Chg. % | Market Cap. |
| Bitcoin | BTC | $33,378.83 | -6.80% | 632.15b |
| Etherium | ETH | $2,208.45 | -11.50% | 262.62b |
| Binance coin | BNB | $341.45 | -10.76% | 50.76b |
| Solana | SOL | $82.54 | -18.34% | 25.98b |
| Cardano | ADA | $ 0.9657 | -13.92% | 30.05b |