The Nasdaq Composite rebounded from a morning sell-off that saw the index tumble more than 3% to close 3.4%, or 436 points higher, at 13,473.58 in its best day of 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed in positive territory after plunging more than 800 points during intraday trading, and the S&P 500 bounced back from a drop of 1.5% to close 1.5% higher at 4,288.69.
Meanwhile, the 10-year U.S. Treasury nearly erased a 12 basis point drop — its worst since November 2021 — to yield 1.97%.
President Joe Biden in a speech Thursday unveiled another tranche of sanctions against Russia in condemnation of its attack on Ukraine meant to “impose severe cost on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time.” The action builds on a first batch of financial sanctions announced Tuesday targeting Russian financial institutions, sovereign debt and oligarchs in the country.
“Putin is the aggressor,” Biden said in his speech. “Putin chose this war, and now he and his country will bear the consequences.”
European allies acted in lockstep to punish Moscow for its provocation. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled Britain’s largest-ever package of sanctions against Russian banks, members of President Vladimir Putin’s closest circle and wealthy Russians who frequent London. Meanwhile, Germany halted approval of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline that would have deepened western Europe’s energy link to Russia, the world’s largest natural gas exporter.
