Tense Times

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What's Happening Today

Good morning! It's Kristin with your daily morning digest.

Stocks are mixed as tensions heat up in Eastern Europe. The European Union (EU)—along with the U.S.—has announced economic sanctions against Russia for moving troops into certain regions of Ukraine. Sanctions from the EU and the U.S. will target Russian leaders, banks, and financial institutions, and prevent American investment in Ukrainian regions under Russian control. President Joe Biden's executive order also bans imports from those areas.

So what does this mean for your wallet? Markets have been reacting negatively to the news, and oil prices have been on the rise, shaking up things further. Some investors have been selling assets like Bitcoin and flocking to traditional safe havens and lower-risk investments like gold instead. Rising oil prices also typically make inflation worse, so don't expect relief at stores (or the gas pump!) anytime soon.

And don't forget to tune in today at 4 p.m. Eastern for our final Instagram Live conversation about homebuying. We'll be talking with Patrice Washington, host of the "Redefining Wealth" podcast, author, and #MoneyMaven of the "The Steve Harvey Show" about how to enjoy and pay for your new home. We hope to see you there!

- Kristin

Editors' Picks

Oil Prices Approach $100 on Threat of Ukraine War (The Wall Street Journal)

Gender Pay Gap Persists Even at Top of Corporate Ladder (The Balance)

Bitcoin Losing Out to Gold Has Analysts Eyeing $30,000 Level (Bloomberg)

Mortgage Lock Rates Surge in January, As Borrowers Beat Rising Rates (Yahoo Finance)

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Off the Charts

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Number of the Day

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