Asian shares sagged on Monday as warnings that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time sent oil prices to seven-year peaks, boosted bonds and belted the euro.
The United States on Sunday said Russia might create a surprise pretext for an attack, as it reaffirmed a pledge to defend “every inch” of NATO territory.
The cautious mood saw MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan drop 1.2%. Japan’s Nikkei lost 2.6%, while Chinese blue chips fell 0.6%.
S&P 500 futures were down a fraction and Nasdaq futures eased 0.1% after steep losses on Friday. EUROSTOXX 50 futures shed 1.8% and FTSE futures 0.7%.
