Stocks, futures advance on planned US-Russia talks

Stocks, futures advance on planned US-Russia talks

Stocks















Bloomberg

Stocks rise on Friday as planned talks between Russia and the US over Ukraine alleviated some investor gloom about geopolitical risks.

Europe’s Stoxx 600 Index and US equity futures advanced after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for talks in Europe next week. On Thursday, President Joe Biden warned that the probability of an invasion of Ukraine is still “very high.”

Bond yields and the dollar were little changed, while gold and the yen dipped.

Crude oil falls as traders balanced the potential return of Iranian barrels — if the nation reaches a nuclear accord with world powers — against the risk of disruption to Russian energy supplies.

Global stocks are set for a second week of losses, sapped by the standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine as well as the prospect of tightening Federal Reserve monetary policy. Some $2.2 trillion of option expirations set to hit the market may exacerbate volatility.

Bets on a sharper Fed interest-rate liftoff in March have eased somewhat in light of geopolitical tension. But investors continue to be vexed by the question of how