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- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
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- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
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- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
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- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
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- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
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- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
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- China economy hopes boost global equities
- Ubisoft shares sink after 'Assassin's Creed' delay
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Worries over Ukraine invasion pummel US stocks, lift oil prices
Wall Street stocks tumbled and oil prices surged Friday as White House warnings of a possibly imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine reverberated through financial markets.
Markets lurched during a briefing by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who said a Russian invasion could "begin at any time," including during the Beijing Winter Olympics.
"If a Russian attack on Ukraine proceeds, it is likely to begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians," Sullivan said. "Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible, and in any event in the next 24 to 48 hours."
Investors had become less worried about an imminent invasion of Ukraine in recent days following Western diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But stocks tumbled after Sullivan's remarks, with the S&P 500 ultimately losing 1.9 percent.
Analysts said the sell-off was likely heightened by the timing just before the weekend, with investors shifting into a "risk-off" mode to reduce their exposure for the two days when there is no trading.
"The Russia-Ukraine tensions have hovered over already shaky investor sentiment," said John Lynch, chief investment officer for Comerica Wealth Management. "Investors have been counting on a diplomatic resolution, but recent developments indicate this may be wishful thinking and therefore, not fully priced into the markets."
Most industrial sectors finished lower on Wall Street following the midday White House announcement.
An exception was energy, with oil giants Chevron and ExxonMobil winning more than two percent as crude prices jumped on worries that stiff sanctions on Russia could prompt the country, a major crude and natural gas exporter, to curtail investment or weaponize their energy assets.
Shares of weapons makers also moved higher, including Lockheed Martin, which gained 2.8 percent and Northrop Grumman, which rose 4.5 percent.
Earlier in Europe, London equities slid after economic data pointed to a December slowdown amid the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
The UK economy grew by a record 7.5 percent last year to rebound from the pandemic crash, but shrank by a modest 0.2 percent in the final month, official data showed.
In the eurozone, Frankfurt and Paris stocks banked lower, mirroring Asia after overnight Wall Street losses.
- Key figures around 2150 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.4 percent at 34,738.06 (close)
New York - S&P 500: DOWN 1.9 percent at 4,418.64 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 2.8 percent at 13,791.15 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,661.02 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.4 percent at 15,425.12 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.3 percent at 7,011.60 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.0 percent at 4,153.23 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.1 percent at 24,906.66 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.7 percent at 3,462.95 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1351 from $1.1428 late Thursday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3564 from $1.3557
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.64 pence from 84.29 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 115.48 yen from 116.01 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 3.3 percent at $94.44 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 3.6 percent at $93.10 per barrel
burs-jmb/dw
Y.Ibrahim--CPN