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- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
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- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
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Asian markets mixed as Ukraine fears return, oil extends losses
Asian markets were mixed Friday following a steep drop on Wall Street fuelled by renewed fears that Russia will soon invade Ukraine, adding to long-running angst about the Federal Reserve's plans to hike interest rates.
While tensions in Eastern Europe continue to absorb most of the attention, oil extended losses as traders grow increasingly optimistic of a deal on Iran's nuclear programme that could see it restart crude exports.
After a disappointing start to the year, investors are still to get their mojo back as they contend with a range of risk-off issues including Russia-Ukraine, soaring inflation, imminent rate hikes, supply chain snarls and China's Covid outbreaks.
And analysts warned the uncertainty will likely last for some time.
For now eyes are on the Russia-Ukraine border after Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin's forces could attack any time soon.
There had been optimism the crisis had passed after Moscow said troops were withdrawing but Western powers said there is no sign that is the case, while accusing it of preparing a "false flag operation" as a pretext for invasion.
Putin denies he is planning any incursion but investors remain on edge as observers warn such a move could have wide-ranging implications for the world economic recovery, particularly with Russia being a major energy exporter.
The mood was given a little help when Washington said Thursday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will meet next week if there is no invasion.
All three main US indexes ended well down, with the Nasdaq almost three percent off, though Asia fared slightly better.
Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei, Wellington and Manila slipped, though Shanghai, Mumbai, Jakarta and Bangkok edged up slightly. Seoul was flat.
"For now, simmering frictions in the Ukraine are keeping markets nervous and after (Thursday's) glimpses of a risk of tone, news over the past 24 hours have turned sentiment decisively negative," said National Australia Bank's Rodrigo Catril.
Still, oil prices remain in their downward spiral, dropping again Friday after a two percent drop Thursday as it emerged that Tehran and world powers were edging closer to an agreement on its nuclear programme.
A deal could see the return of hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude to the global market, providing a much-needed boost to supplies just as demand surges and uncertainty reigns in Europe. Both main contracts remain around their 2014 levels, however, and analysts expect them to break $100 this year.
The crisis in the Ukraine comes as traders continue to contend with the prospect of interest rates rising sharply this year as the Fed tries to rein in inflation at a 40-year high.
After spending most of last year saying surging prices would be transitory, the US central bank is now in full-on firefighting mode but commentators fear it may be behind the curve and will have to act more stringently than previously thought.
While minutes from January's meeting appeared to ease worries of a big 50 basis point rise in March, there is an expectation it could still lift borrowing costs as many as seven times this year. As early as late 2021 markets were pricing in three.
The prospect of higher costs has dealt a blow to the two-year pandemic rally and while the economy continues to recover, observers warn the uncertainty will not go away soon.
"We've been calling for a long time for increased volatility, but when it finally comes it's nerve wracking for everybody," Carol Schleif, at BMO Family Office, told Bloomberg TV.
"It's important to remember that the Fed isn't going to start pulling back its support for the economy -- either in terms of the balance sheet purchases or interest-rate raises -- if they weren't trying to cool a very strong economy."
- Key figures around 0710 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.4 percent at 27,122.07 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.0 percent at 24,541.06
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.7 percent at 3,490.76 (close)
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.4 percent at $91.37 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $92.64 per barrel
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1369 from $1.1366 late Wednesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3610 from $1.3615
Euro/pound: UP at 83.49 pence from 83.44 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 115.18 yen from 114.91 yen
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.8 percent at 34,312.03 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.9 percent at 7,537.37 (close)
L.Harper--AMWN